🔗 Share this article

This resistance may not be broadcast, yet it might possess webbed feet and large eyes.

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

While demonstrations against the leadership carry on in American cities, participants have embraced the energy of a local block party. They've offered dance instruction, distributed treats, and performed on unicycles, as police watch.

Combining comedy and political action – a tactic researchers refer to as "tactical frivolity" – is not new. However, it has emerged as a signature characteristic of American protest in this period, adopted by all sides of the political spectrum.

And one symbol has proven to be notably significant – the frog. It started after a video of a confrontation between a protester in an inflatable frog and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. From there, it proliferated to protests throughout the United States.

"A great deal happening with that humble blow-up amphibian," says LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies performance art.

From the Pepe Meme to the Streets of Portland

It's hard to examine protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by online communities throughout a political race.

Initially, when the character first took off on the internet, it was used to express certain emotions. Subsequently, it was deployed to show support for a political figure, even one notable meme retweeted by the candidate personally, portraying the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in digital spaces in darker contexts, as a historical dictator. Online conservatives traded "rare Pepes" and established digital currency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was deployed a coded signal.

However its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his disapproval for its co-option. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in this artist's universe.

The frog first appeared in an online comic in the mid-2000s – non-political and notable for a quirky behavior. A film, which follows the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his work, he explained the character came from his experiences with friends and roommates.

As he started out, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to new websites, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of the internet, the creator attempted to distance himself from his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

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

Until recently, the notoriety of Pepe resulted in frogs were largely associated with the right. A transformation occurred on a day in October, when a confrontation between an activist dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland spread rapidly online.

The event occurred shortly after a decision to deploy military personnel to the city, which was described as "a warzone". Protesters began to congregate at a specific location, near a federal building.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer sprayed pepper spray at a protester, targeting the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, reacted humorously, remarking it tasted like "something milder". However, the video became a sensation.

Mr Todd's attire was somewhat typical for the city, famous for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that delight in the unusual – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol was also referenced in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and Portland, which contended the use of troops was unlawful.

Although a judge decided in October that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "known tendency for wearing chicken suits while voicing dissent."

"It is easy to see the court's opinion, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she wrote. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The action was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and personnel are said to have left the area.

Yet already, the amphibian costume had transformed into a significant protest icon for the left.

The inflatable suit was spotted across the country at No Kings protests last autumn. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was sold out on major websites, and saw its cost increase.

Mastering the Visual Story

What connects both frogs together – lies in the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and serious intent. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

This approach is based on what the professor calls the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it acts as a "disarming and charming" performance that calls attention to a message without needing obviously explaining them. This is the unusual prop 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 led seminars around the world.

"One can look back to historical periods – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to express dissent a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The idea of this approach is multi-faceted, he says.

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