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This revolution won't be televised, yet it might possess amphibious toes and protruding eyes.

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

As protests against the government continue in US cities, protesters are adopting the vibe of a community costume parade. They have taught salsa lessons, distributed snacks, and performed on unicycles, while officers watch.

Mixing comedy and political action – an approach social scientists refer to as "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a hallmark of American protest in the current era, embraced by various groups.

A specific icon has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It started when recordings of a confrontation between a man in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, spread online. From there, it proliferated to protests throughout the United States.

"There's a lot going on with that humble blow-up amphibian," says LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on performance art.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It is difficult to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure adopted by far-right groups during an election cycle.

Initially, when the meme gained popularity on the internet, people used it to signal certain emotions. Subsequently, it was deployed to endorse a political figure, including a particular image shared by the candidate personally, portraying Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in certain internet forums in more extreme scenarios, as a hate group member. Participants exchanged "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency using its likeness. Its famous line, "that feels good", was deployed a coded signal.

Yet the character did not originate so controversial.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has expressed about his disapproval for its appropriation. Pepe was supposed to be simply a relaxed amphibian in his comic world.

The frog debuted in comic strips in 2005 – non-political and best known for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his work, he said his drawing came from his experiences with friends and roommates.

As he started out, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to new websites, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of online spaces, the creator tried to disavow the frog, including ending its life in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

"This demonstrates that we don't control icons," explains Prof Bogad. "They transform and be repurposed."

Until recently, the association of Pepe resulted in frogs were largely associated with conservative politics. A transformation occurred in early October, when a viral moment between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The moment followed an order to send military personnel to the city, which was described as "a warzone". Activists began to gather in droves outside a facility, near an ICE office.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer deployed irritant at a protester, directing it into the ventilation of the costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, saying he had tasted "something milder". But the incident went viral.

The costume was not too unusual for Portland, renowned for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that revel in the absurd – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog was also referenced in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and the city, which contended the use of troops was unlawful.

While a judge decided that month that the president had the right to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, mentioning demonstrators' "known tendency for using unusual attire while voicing dissent."

"It is easy to see the court's opinion, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," she wrote. "Yet the outcome goes beyond absurdity."

The action was halted by courts soon after, and troops withdrew from the city.

However, by that time, the frog had transformed into a powerful protest icon for progressive movements.

The costume was seen across the country at No Kings protests that fall. There were frogs – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in rural communities and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was sold out on major websites, and rose in price.

Shaping the Optics

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."

The strategy is based on what the professor calls a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" act that highlights your ideas without explicitly stating them. This is the silly outfit you wear, or the meme you share.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and an experienced participant. He's written a book on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to express dissent indirectly and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The purpose of this approach is multi-faceted, Mr Bogad says.

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