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The revolution won't be broadcast, though it may feature amphibious toes and large eyes.

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

Whilst rallies against the administration persist in US cities, demonstrators have embraced the spirit of a community costume parade. They have taught salsa lessons, given away treats, and performed on unicycles, while officers look on.

Blending levity and politics – an approach experts term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. However, it has emerged as a signature characteristic of protests in the United States in recent years, embraced by various groups.

A specific icon has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It began when video footage of an encounter between an individual in a frog suit and federal officers in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. And it has since spread to rallies nationwide.

"There is much happening with that small inflatable frog," states LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in political performance.

The Path From Pepe to Portland

It's hard to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without mentioning Pepe, a web comic frog adopted by online communities throughout a political race.

When this image first took off on the internet, people used it to convey certain emotions. Subsequently, its use evolved to endorse a candidate, even a particular image endorsed by that figure personally, depicting Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in certain internet forums in offensive ways, portrayed as a historical dictator. Users exchanged "unique frog images" and set up digital currency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", was deployed an inside joke.

But Pepe didn't start out as a political symbol.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply a relaxed amphibian in his series.

The frog first appeared in an online comic in 2005 – apolitical and famous for a quirky behavior. In a documentary, which chronicles the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his creation, he stated his drawing came from his time with friends and roommates.

When he began, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to the nascent social web, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As its popularity grew into the more extreme corners of online spaces, the creator tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"It proves the lack of control over symbols," says Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the popularity of Pepe resulted in frogs became a symbol for the right. A transformation occurred on a day in October, when a confrontation between an activist dressed in an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland spread rapidly online.

The event came just days after an order to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Protesters began to congregate at a specific location, near an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer used pepper spray at the individual, targeting the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, Seth Todd, responded with a joke, stating it tasted like "something milder". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

The costume was not too unusual for the city, known for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that delight in the absurd – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog became part of in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and Portland, which claimed the deployment was illegal.

Although the court ruled that month that the president was within its rights to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning the protesters' "propensity for using unusual attire while voicing their disagreement."

"It is easy to see this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as merely absurd," she opined. "Yet the outcome goes beyond absurdity."

The deployment was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and troops are said to have left the city.

But by then, the frog was now a significant protest icon for the left.

This symbol appeared in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was in high demand on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Shaping the Optics

The link between the two amphibian symbols – lies in the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it's a "disarming and charming" performance that calls attention to a message without needing directly articulating them. It's the goofy costume you wear, or the meme 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 historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to speak the truth indirectly and still have a layer of protection."

The purpose of such tactics is three-fold, he says.

As activists take on a powerful opposition, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences