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This revolution isn't televised, though it may feature amphibious toes and protruding eyes.

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

While demonstrations against the administration persist in American cities, demonstrators are utilizing the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered dance instruction, given away treats, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement watch.

Blending levity and politics – a tactic social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. Yet it has transformed into a signature characteristic of US demonstrations in recent years, adopted by both left and right.

And one symbol has proven to be particularly salient – the frog. It started when a video of a clash between a man in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, went viral. From there, it proliferated to demonstrations throughout the United States.

"There's a lot going on with that little blow-up amphibian," notes an expert, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in political performance.

From the Pepe Meme to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to talk about protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, a web comic frog embraced by far-right groups throughout a political race.

Initially, when this image gained popularity on the internet, it was used to express certain emotions. Afterwards, its use evolved to express backing for a political figure, including one notable meme retweeted by the candidate himself, depicting Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in right-wing online communities in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", became a coded signal.

However Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has stated about his unhappiness for its co-option. Pepe was supposed to be simply a "chill frog-dude" in his comic world.

This character debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which chronicles Mr Furie's efforts to take back of his work, he explained his drawing came from his life with companions.

As he started out, Mr Furie experimented with uploading his work to new websites, where people online began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As its popularity grew into fringe areas of online spaces, the creator attempted to distance himself from his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows that we don't control imagery," states the professor. "They transform and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the association of this meme resulted in frogs were largely associated with conservative politics. But that changed on a day in October, when an incident between an activist wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon went viral.

This incident followed a decision to deploy the National Guard to the city, which was described as "war-ravaged". Demonstrators began to congregate on a single block, just outside of an ICE office.

Tensions were high and an agent used irritant at the individual, directing it into the opening of the inflatable suit.

The protester, Seth Todd, reacted humorously, remarking he had tasted "spicier tamales". However, the video went viral.

The costume was not too unusual for the city, renowned for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that embrace the absurd – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume became part of in a lawsuit between the federal government and the city, which contended the deployment overstepped authority.

Although a judge decided in October that the president had the right to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, noting in her opinion the protesters' "propensity for wearing chicken suits while voicing opposition."

"It is easy to see this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as merely absurd," the dissenting judge wrote. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The action was "permanently" blocked soon after, and personnel are said to have left the area.

But by then, the frog had become a powerful anti-administration symbol for progressive movements.

This symbol was spotted across the country at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. There were frogs – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities abroad.

The inflatable suit was in high demand on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Mastering the Optics

The link between Pepe and the protest frog – is the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and serious intent. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic relies on what the professor terms a "disarming display" – often silly, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" display that calls attention to a message without explicitly stating them. This is the silly outfit you wear, or the symbol circulated.

Mr Bogad is both an expert in the subject and an experienced participant. He authored a book 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 still have plausible deniability."

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

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