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This revolution won't be broadcast, yet it might possess webbed feet and large eyes.

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

Whilst rallies against the administration continue in US cities, demonstrators have embraced the spirit of a local block party. They have taught salsa lessons, distributed treats, and performed on unicycles, while officers look on.

Combining humour and political action – an approach social scientists refer to as "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. Yet it has transformed into a defining feature of American protest in recent years, adopted by both left and right.

And one symbol has proven to be particularly salient – the frog. It originated after recordings of a clash between an individual in a frog suit and federal officers in Portland, Oregon, spread online. From there, it proliferated to protests throughout the United States.

"There is much happening with that little frog costume," says an expert, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in performance art.

From the Pepe Meme to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by extremist movements throughout an election cycle.

Initially, when the meme initially spread online, people used it to express specific feelings. Afterwards, it was deployed to endorse a political figure, even one notable meme retweeted by the candidate himself, depicting Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, as a hate group member. Users traded "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency in his name. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was deployed an inside joke.

Yet Pepe didn't start out as a political symbol.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his unhappiness for its appropriation. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his comic world.

This character first appeared in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – non-political and famous for a quirky behavior. In a documentary, which chronicles the creator's attempt to take back of his creation, he stated his drawing came from his time with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to the nascent social web, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of the internet, the creator sought to reject the frog, even killing him off in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows the lack of control over imagery," states Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

Until recently, the association of Pepe meant that amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to conservative politics. This shifted on a day in October, when a confrontation between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The event occurred shortly after an order to send the National Guard to the city, which was described as "war-ravaged". Demonstrators began to congregate on a single block, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

Tensions were high and an immigration officer used pepper spray at a protester, targeting the opening of the puffy frog costume.

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

Mr Todd's attire was not too unusual for Portland, known for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that revel in the unusual – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and Portland, which claimed the deployment was unlawful.

Although the court ruled that month that the administration had the right to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "propensity for donning inflatable costumes when expressing dissent."

"Observers may be tempted this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as merely absurd," she wrote. "Yet the outcome goes beyond absurdity."

The deployment was "permanently" blocked soon after, and troops withdrew from the area.

However, by that time, the frog was now a potent symbol of resistance for progressive movements.

The costume appeared across the country at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in rural communities and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

This item was in high demand on major websites, and became more expensive.

Shaping the Visual Story

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – is the relationship between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

This approach relies on what the professor calls the "irresistible image" – often silly, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" display that calls attention to a message without needing explicitly stating them. This is the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol you share.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a book called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops internationally.

"One can look back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

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

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