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This resistance may not be televised, but it could have webbed feet and large eyes.

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

While rallies against the government carry on in US cities, protesters have embraced the energy of a community costume parade. They've offered dance instruction, given away treats, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement look on.

Blending humour and politics – an approach experts refer to as "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. However, it has emerged as a signature characteristic of protests in the United States in recent years, embraced by both left and right.

A specific icon has emerged as especially powerful – the frog. It began after video footage of a clash between a man in an amphibian costume and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, went viral. From there, it proliferated to demonstrations throughout the United States.

"There is much at play with that humble blow-up amphibian," states LM Bogad, a professor at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on political performance.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It is difficult to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without mentioning Pepe, a web comic frog adopted by extremist movements throughout a previous presidential campaign.

As the meme initially spread online, its purpose was to convey certain emotions. Later, its use evolved to endorse a candidate, including one notable meme shared by the candidate himself, portraying the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in certain internet forums in offensive ways, portrayed as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was used an inside joke.

But the character did not originate this divisive.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his distaste for its co-option. The character was intended as simply a relaxed amphibian in his comic world.

This character debuted in an online comic in 2005 – non-political and famous for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which chronicles the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his creation, he said the character was inspired by his experiences with friends and roommates.

As he started out, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to early internet platforms, where people online began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As its popularity grew into darker parts of online spaces, the creator tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows that we don't control symbols," says the professor. "They transform and be reworked."

For a long time, the notoriety of this meme meant that amphibian imagery became a symbol for the right. But that changed in early October, when an incident between a protestor wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

This incident came just days after an order to send military personnel to the city, which was described as "war-ravaged". Activists began to assemble in large numbers on a single block, near an immigration enforcement facility.

Tensions were high and a officer deployed irritant at the individual, targeting the air intake fan of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, quipped, stating it tasted like "spicier tamales". However, the video became a sensation.

Mr Todd's attire was not too unusual for Portland, famous for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that delight in the unusual – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog became part of in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and the city, which argued the deployment overstepped authority.

While a ruling was issued in October that the administration was within its rights to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "well-known penchant for donning inflatable costumes while voicing their disagreement."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," she opined. "Yet the outcome goes beyond absurdity."

The order was "permanently" blocked soon after, and troops are said to have left the area.

However, by that time, the amphibian costume was now a potent symbol of resistance for the left.

This symbol appeared nationwide at No Kings protests recently. Frogs appeared – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in small towns and big international cities abroad.

This item was backordered on major websites, and became more expensive.

Mastering the Optics

The link between both frogs together – is the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The strategy is based on what Mr Bogad calls the "irresistible image" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that highlights your ideas without explicitly stating them. This is the goofy costume used, or the meme circulated.

Mr Bogad is an analyst on this topic and an experienced participant. He's written a text called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars internationally.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The purpose of this approach is multi-faceted, he explains.

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