🔗 Share this article

The resistance may not be broadcast, but it could have webbed feet and protruding eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

Whilst rallies opposing the government persist in American cities, protesters have embraced the energy of a community costume parade. They have taught dance instruction, distributed snacks, and performed on unicycles, while police observe.

Combining comedy and political action – an approach researchers 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, used by both left and right.

A specific icon has risen to become notably significant – the frog. It started when a video of a confrontation between an individual in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, became an internet sensation. From there, it proliferated to demonstrations nationwide.

"There's a lot happening with that small blow-up amphibian," states a professor, who teaches at UC Davis and an academic who focuses on performance art.

From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to discuss protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, an illustrated figure co-opted by far-right groups during an election cycle.

As the meme initially spread online, it was used to signal certain emotions. Later, its use evolved to endorse a political figure, even a particular image shared by the candidate personally, showing Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in darker contexts, portrayed as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and established digital currency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", was used an inside joke.

Yet the character did not originate so controversial.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has been vocal about his unhappiness for its appropriation. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

Pepe first appeared in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a particular bathroom habit. In a documentary, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his creation, he said the character was inspired by his time with friends and roommates.

As he started out, Mr Furie experimented with sharing his art to early internet platforms, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of online spaces, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It proves the lack of control over symbols," explains the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reworked."

Previously, the association of this meme resulted in frogs were largely associated with the right. But that changed on a day in October, when an incident between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

This incident occurred shortly after an order to send the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Activists began to gather in droves at a specific location, near a federal building.

Emotions ran high and a officer used irritant at the individual, directing it into the air intake fan of the costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, remarking he had tasted "spicier tamales". However, the video went viral.

The frog suit was not too unusual for Portland, famous for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that delight in the unusual – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume even played a role in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and Portland, which argued the use of troops overstepped authority.

While the court ruled in October that the president had the right to send personnel, one judge dissented, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "well-known penchant for using unusual attire when expressing opposition."

"It is easy to see this decision, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she opined. "Yet the outcome has serious implications."

The deployment was stopped legally soon after, and personnel are said to have left the area.

Yet already, the frog had become a powerful protest icon for progressive movements.

The costume was spotted across the country at No Kings protests that fall. Frogs appeared – along with other creatures – in major US cities. They appeared in small towns and big international cities abroad.

The inflatable suit was sold out on online retailers, and rose in price.

Shaping the Narrative

What connects the two amphibian symbols – is the relationship between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what the professor terms the "irresistible image" – often silly, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" display that highlights a cause without obviously explaining them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the meme you share.

Mr Bogad is an analyst in the subject and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a book on the subject, and taught workshops internationally.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The theory of such tactics is multi-faceted, he says.

When activists take on the state, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences