🔗 Share this article

This protest movement won't be broadcast, but it could have webbed feet and protruding eyes.

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

While protests against the administration continue in American cities, protesters have embraced the spirit of a community costume parade. They've provided salsa lessons, given away snacks, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement observe.

Combining levity and politics – a tactic social scientists call "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. Yet it has transformed into a signature characteristic of US demonstrations in this period, embraced by both left and right.

And one symbol has risen to become notably significant – the frog. It began after video footage of an encounter between an individual in a frog suit and federal officers in the city of Portland, spread online. It subsequently appeared to demonstrations nationwide.

"There is much at play with that small blow-up amphibian," states LM Bogad, a professor at UC Davis and an academic who studies creative activism.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It's hard to discuss protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a cartoon character co-opted by far-right groups throughout a previous presidential campaign.

Initially, when the meme initially spread online, people used it to convey specific feelings. Subsequently, its use evolved to endorse a political figure, even one notable meme retweeted by that figure himself, showing Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in right-wing online communities in darker contexts, as a historical dictator. Participants traded "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was deployed a coded signal.

However its beginnings were not this divisive.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his distaste for its appropriation. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in this artist's universe.

Pepe debuted in an online comic in 2005 – non-political and best known for a quirky behavior. A film, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his work, he said his drawing came from his time with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, Mr Furie experimented with uploading his work to early internet platforms, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. As Pepe spread into fringe areas of online spaces, the creator sought to reject the frog, including ending its life in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

"It proves the lack of control over icons," says Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reclaimed."

Until recently, the popularity of Pepe meant that amphibian imagery became a symbol for the right. A transformation occurred on a day in October, when an incident between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon went viral.

This incident occurred shortly after a directive to deploy military personnel to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Activists began to gather in droves outside a facility, near an immigration enforcement facility.

Tensions were high and a officer used pepper spray at a protester, targeting the air intake fan of the inflatable suit.

Seth Todd, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, saying it tasted like "spicier tamales". However, the video spread everywhere.

The costume was not too unusual for the city, renowned for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that embrace the ridiculous – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol became part of in the ensuing legal battle between the federal government and Portland, which claimed the deployment was unlawful.

Although a ruling was issued in October that the president had the right to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, noting in her opinion the protesters' "known tendency for wearing chicken suits when expressing their disagreement."

"Observers may be tempted the court's opinion, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge wrote. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The action was stopped legally soon after, and personnel withdrew from the city.

Yet already, the frog had become a powerful symbol of resistance for the left.

The costume was spotted nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. Amphibian costumes were present – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in rural communities and global metropolises abroad.

This item was backordered on major websites, and rose in price.

Controlling the Narrative

What brings both frogs together – lies in the interplay between the silly, innocent image and a deeper political meaning. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The strategy relies on what Mr Bogad calls the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that highlights a message without directly articulating them. It's the unusual prop used, or the symbol you share.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a book called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

"One can look back to historical periods – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

The purpose of such tactics is multi-faceted, he explains.

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