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The resistance won't be televised, but it could have webbed feet and protruding eyes.

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

As rallies opposing the administration persist in US cities, participants have embraced the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered dance instruction, distributed treats, and ridden unicycles, while police observe.

Combining levity and politics – a strategy researchers refer to as "tactical frivolity" – is not new. Yet it has transformed into a hallmark of US demonstrations in the current era, embraced by all sides of the political spectrum.

One particular emblem has proven to be notably significant – the frog. It started when recordings of an encounter between a protester in a frog suit and federal officers in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. And it has since spread to demonstrations throughout the United States.

"A great deal at play with that small inflatable frog," says an expert, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in performance art.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to the Streets of Portland

It's hard to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by far-right groups throughout a political race.

When the meme gained popularity on the internet, people used it to express specific feelings. Subsequently, it was deployed to endorse a candidate, even one notable meme shared by the candidate himself, depicting Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in offensive ways, as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "rare Pepes" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was used an inside joke.

But the character did not originate as a political symbol.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has been vocal about his distaste for its appropriation. The character was intended as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his comic world.

The frog debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – non-political and best known for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his work, he stated his drawing was inspired by his life with friends and roommates.

When he began, the artist tried uploading his work to new websites, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As Pepe spread into the more extreme corners of the internet, the creator attempted to distance himself from the frog, even killing him off in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows that we don't control symbols," says Prof Bogad. "They can change and shift and be reclaimed."

Previously, the association of this meme meant that frogs were largely associated with conservative politics. This shifted recently, when an incident between an activist dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The event came just days after an order to deploy military personnel to the city, which was called "a warzone". Protesters began to assemble in large numbers at a specific location, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and an agent sprayed irritant at a protester, directing it into the opening of the inflatable suit.

Seth Todd, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, stating it tasted like "something milder". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

Mr Todd's attire fit right in for Portland, known for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that delight in the absurd – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. Its creed is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume was also referenced in a lawsuit between the administration and Portland, which contended the deployment overstepped authority.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the administration had the right to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, mentioning the protesters' "propensity for using unusual attire while voicing dissent."

"Some might view the court's opinion, which adopts the description of Portland as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," Judge Susan Graber wrote. "Yet the outcome has serious implications."

The action was stopped legally subsequently, and troops have reportedly departed the area.

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

The inflatable suit appeared nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests recently. Frogs appeared – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in rural communities and global metropolises abroad.

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

Controlling the Optics

The link between both frogs together – lies in the dynamic between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – often silly, it acts as a "disarming and charming" display that highlights your ideas without needing explicitly stating them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol circulated.

Mr Bogad is both an expert in the subject and someone who uses these tactics. He authored 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 still have plausible deniability."

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

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