🔗 Share this article

This revolution won't be broadcast, though it may feature amphibious toes and large eyes.

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

While protests opposing the administration carry on in US cities, participants have embraced the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered salsa lessons, handed out snacks, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement observe.

Combining comedy and political action – an approach experts call "tactical frivolity" – is not new. But it has become a signature characteristic of American protest in this period, used by both left and right.

One particular emblem has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It began after recordings of an encounter between a man in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in the city of Portland, spread online. And it has since spread to rallies across the country.

"A great deal going on with that little frog costume," states a professor, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies creative activism.

The Path From Pepe to Portland

It's challenging to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by far-right groups during a political race.

As the character initially spread online, it was used to signal specific feelings. Subsequently, it was utilized to express backing for a candidate, even one notable meme retweeted by the candidate personally, portraying Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in offensive ways, portrayed as a hate group member. Online conservatives exchanged "rare Pepes" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was used a coded signal.

Yet Pepe didn't start out this divisive.

Its creator, the illustrator, has been vocal about his unhappiness for its appropriation. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

The frog first appeared in comic strips in 2005 – apolitical and notable for a quirky behavior. A film, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his work, he stated his drawing came from his time with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to early internet platforms, where people online began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As Pepe spread into the more extreme corners of the internet, the creator sought to reject his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

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

Until recently, the popularity of Pepe meant that amphibian imagery became a symbol for conservative politics. A transformation occurred in early October, when a confrontation between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The event followed an order to deploy military personnel to Portland, which was described as "war-ravaged". Activists began to gather in droves at a specific location, near an ICE office.

Tensions were high and an agent deployed pepper spray at a protester, targeting the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

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

The costume was not too unusual for Portland, famous for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that embrace the absurd – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume became part of in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and Portland, which argued the deployment overstepped authority.

Although a ruling was issued in October that the president had the right to deploy troops, one judge dissented, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "propensity for wearing chicken suits when expressing their disagreement."

"Some might view this decision, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," she stated. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The order was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and troops have reportedly departed the city.

Yet already, the frog was now a significant protest icon for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit was spotted across the country at anti-authoritarian protests recently. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was in high demand on major websites, and became more expensive.

Mastering the Optics

What brings both frogs together – lies in the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and serious intent. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

This approach rests on what the professor calls the "irresistible image" – often silly, it acts as a "disarming and charming" performance that highlights a message without directly articulating them. This is the silly outfit you wear, or the meme you share.

Mr Bogad is an analyst on this topic and an experienced participant. He authored a text called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars around the world.

"One can look back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

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

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