🔗 Share this article

This resistance isn't broadcast, but it could have webbed feet and large eyes.

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

As rallies opposing the government continue in American cities, demonstrators are utilizing the spirit of a community costume parade. They've offered dance instruction, handed out snacks, and performed on unicycles, as armed law enforcement watch.

Blending levity and politics – a strategy researchers call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a defining feature of protests in the United States in this period, used by all sides of the political spectrum.

And one symbol has emerged as particularly salient – the frog. It started when recordings of an encounter between an individual in an inflatable frog and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, became an internet sensation. It subsequently appeared to rallies nationwide.

"There's a lot at play with that small frog costume," notes LM Bogad, a professor at UC Davis and an academic who specialises in creative activism.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to the Streets of Portland

It's hard to discuss protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by extremist movements during an election cycle.

As the character gained popularity online, it was used to signal certain emotions. Subsequently, it was deployed to show support for a candidate, including one notable meme endorsed by that figure personally, showing Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in right-wing online communities in darker contexts, portrayed as a historical dictator. Participants exchanged "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency using its likeness. Its famous line, "that feels good", was deployed a coded signal.

But Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has expressed about his distaste for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

Pepe first appeared in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a quirky behavior. A film, which chronicles the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his work, he said the character came from his life with companions.

When he began, the artist experimented with sharing his art to the nascent social web, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As Pepe spread into darker parts of the internet, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"This demonstrates that we don't control icons," says Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be reworked."

Until recently, the popularity of this meme resulted in amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to the right. But that changed in early October, when a confrontation between a protestor wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon spread rapidly online.

This incident came just days after an order to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Protesters began to assemble in large numbers outside a facility, near a federal building.

The situation was tense and an agent deployed a chemical agent at the individual, directing it into the air intake fan of the costume.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, quipped, saying he had tasted "spicier tamales". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

The frog suit was not too unusual for Portland, renowned for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that delight in the ridiculous – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the federal government and the city, which contended the use of troops overstepped authority.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, one judge dissented, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "propensity for wearing chicken suits when expressing opposition."

"Observers may be tempted this decision, which accepts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," Judge Susan Graber wrote. "But today's decision goes beyond absurdity."

The order was "permanently" blocked soon after, and personnel withdrew from the area.

However, by that time, the amphibian costume had transformed into a significant symbol of resistance for progressive movements.

The costume was seen in many cities at No Kings protests last autumn. Amphibian costumes were present – along with other creatures – in major US cities. They appeared in small towns and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

This item was sold out on major websites, and became more expensive.

Shaping the Visual Story

The link between the two amphibian symbols – lies in the dynamic between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

This approach is based on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that calls attention to your ideas without needing directly articulating 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 text on the subject, and taught workshops around the world.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to speak the truth indirectly and still have a layer of protection."

The purpose of such tactics is three-fold, Mr Bogad explains.

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