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The resistance may not be televised, but it could have amphibious toes and protruding eyes.

It also might feature a unicorn's horn or the plumage of a chicken.

While rallies against the leadership persist in US cities, protesters are adopting the vibe of a community costume parade. They've offered dance instruction, handed out treats, and ridden unicycles, while police look on.

Blending humour and politics – a tactic experts term "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of US demonstrations in recent years, used by all sides of the political spectrum.

And one symbol has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It began after video footage of an encounter between an individual in an amphibian costume and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, went viral. And it has since spread to protests throughout the United States.

"There is much going on with that small frog costume," states a professor, who teaches at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies creative activism.

The Path From a Cartoon Frog to Portland

It's hard to discuss protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure co-opted by extremist movements during a political race.

When this image initially spread on the internet, its purpose was to convey specific feelings. Later, it was utilized to show support for a candidate, even one notable meme retweeted by that figure himself, portraying the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, as a historical dictator. Users exchanged "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "that feels good", was deployed a coded signal.

However its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

This character first appeared in comic strips in the mid-2000s – non-political and best known for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his work, he said his drawing was inspired by his life with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, Mr Furie experimented with uploading his work to the nascent social web, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of the internet, the creator attempted to distance himself from the frog, including ending its life in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It proves the lack of control over icons," explains Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be repurposed."

For a long time, the popularity of this meme meant that amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to the right. This shifted on a day in October, when an incident between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The moment occurred shortly after a decision to send the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Demonstrators began to congregate outside a facility, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and an immigration officer sprayed pepper spray at the individual, directing it into the air intake fan of the inflatable suit.

The protester, Seth Todd, quipped, remarking it tasted like "something milder". But the incident spread everywhere.

The costume was not too unusual for the city, renowned for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that revel in the ridiculous – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the federal government and the city, which argued the use of troops was unlawful.

Although a judge decided in October that the administration was within its rights to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning the protesters' "well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits while voicing opposition."

"Observers may be tempted the court's opinion, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as merely absurd," the dissenting judge wrote. "But today's decision goes beyond absurdity."

The order was stopped legally subsequently, and troops withdrew from the area.

But by then, the amphibian costume had transformed into a potent anti-administration symbol for the left.

This symbol was seen in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests recently. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

This item was in high demand on major websites, and rose in price.

Mastering the Visual Story

The link between Pepe and the protest frog – is the relationship between the silly, innocent image and serious intent. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what Mr Bogad calls the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" act that draws focus to a cause without needing obviously explaining them. It's the goofy costume you wear, or the symbol you share.

The professor is an analyst on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a text on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

The theory of this approach is three-fold, he says.

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