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The revolution may not be televised, but it could have amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

Additionally, it could include a unicorn's horn or the plumage of a chicken.

While demonstrations against the government persist in US cities, demonstrators are utilizing the vibe of a community costume parade. They've offered salsa lessons, given away snacks, and ridden unicycles, as armed law enforcement look on.

Mixing comedy and politics – an approach experts call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of protests in the United States in the current era, used by various groups.

And one symbol has emerged as particularly salient – the frog. It started when a video of a clash between a man in a frog suit and federal officers in Portland, Oregon, spread online. And it has since spread to demonstrations across the country.

"There's a lot going on with that small inflatable frog," says an expert, a professor at University of California, Davis and an academic who specialises in creative activism.

From Pepe to Portland

It is difficult to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without addressing Pepe, a cartoon character adopted by extremist movements during a political race.

When the character initially spread online, it was used to express certain emotions. Afterwards, it was utilized to endorse a candidate, even one notable meme shared by that figure himself, portraying Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in right-wing online communities in darker contexts, portrayed as a hate group member. Online conservatives exchanged "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", was deployed an inside joke.

But the character did not originate as a political symbol.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has expressed about his distaste for its appropriation. The character was intended as simply a "chill frog-dude" in this artist's universe.

This character first appeared in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents Mr Furie's efforts to take back of his work, he stated his drawing came from his life with companions.

Early in his career, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to new websites, where other users began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of online spaces, Mr Furie tried to disavow the frog, even killing him off in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It proves that creators cannot own symbols," says the professor. "They can change and shift and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the notoriety of Pepe meant that frogs became a symbol for conservative politics. This shifted on a day in October, when an incident between an activist dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

The moment occurred shortly after a decision to deploy military personnel to the city, which was described as "a warzone". Protesters began to gather in droves at a specific location, near a federal building.

The situation was tense and an immigration officer sprayed irritant at a protester, targeting the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, stating it tasted like "something milder". However, the video went viral.

Mr Todd's attire was somewhat typical for the city, renowned for its eccentric vibe and left-wing protests that delight in the ridiculous – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol even played a role in a lawsuit between the federal government and Portland, which claimed the use of troops was illegal.

While the court ruled that month that the president had the right to deploy troops, one judge dissented, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "well-known penchant for using unusual attire while voicing dissent."

"Observers may be tempted this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge opined. "But today's decision goes beyond absurdity."

The order was stopped legally just a month later, and troops are said to have left the area.

But by then, the frog was now a powerful anti-administration symbol for the left.

The costume was seen in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

This item was in high demand on major websites, and saw its cost increase.

Shaping the Visual Story

The link between Pepe and the protest frog – is the interplay between the silly, innocent image and a deeper political meaning. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

This approach relies on what the professor calls the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it's a "disarming and charming" performance that calls attention to a cause without needing explicitly stating them. This is the silly outfit you wear, or the symbol you share.

Mr Bogad is an analyst in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He's written a text on the subject, and taught workshops internationally.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The theory of such tactics is three-fold, Mr Bogad explains.

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