🔗 Share this article

The revolution won't be televised, yet it might possess amphibious toes and protruding eyes.

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

As demonstrations opposing the government persist in American cities, participants are adopting the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've provided salsa lessons, given away treats, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement look on.

Mixing humour and political action – a tactic researchers term "tactical frivolity" – is not new. However, it has emerged as a signature characteristic of US demonstrations in the current era, used by various groups.

And one symbol has emerged as particularly salient – the frog. It started after a video of a confrontation between a man in a frog suit and ICE agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. It subsequently appeared to demonstrations throughout the United States.

"There's a lot happening with that small blow-up amphibian," notes LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and an academic who specialises in performance art.

From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to talk about protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by far-right groups during a previous presidential campaign.

When the meme first took off online, people used it to express specific feelings. Afterwards, its use evolved to show support for a political figure, including a particular image retweeted by the candidate personally, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in darker contexts, portrayed as a historical dictator. Online conservatives exchanged "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency using its likeness. Its famous line, "that feels good", became a shared phrase.

However the character did not originate so controversial.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has expressed about his disapproval for its co-option. Pepe was supposed to be simply an apolitical figure in his series.

This character debuted in an online comic in 2005 – non-political and best known for a quirky behavior. A film, which chronicles Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his creation, he said the character was inspired by his experiences with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie experimented with sharing his art to new websites, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. As its popularity grew into darker parts of online spaces, Mr Furie sought to reject his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"This demonstrates that we don't control icons," says the professor. "They transform and be reworked."

Previously, the association of this meme resulted in frogs were predominantly linked to 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 captured global attention.

This incident followed a decision to deploy the National Guard to the city, which was called "a warzone". Activists began to congregate at a specific location, near a federal building.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer used irritant at the individual, directing it into the air intake fan of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, Seth Todd, quipped, saying it tasted like "something milder". However, the video became a sensation.

Mr Todd's attire fit right in for Portland, renowned for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that revel in the unusual – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol was also referenced in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and the city, which claimed the use of troops was illegal.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the president had the right to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "known tendency for using unusual attire while voicing their disagreement."

"It is easy to see this decision, which accepts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she stated. "But today's decision goes beyond absurdity."

The action was stopped legally soon after, and troops have reportedly departed the area.

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

The inflatable suit was spotted nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in rural communities and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was sold out on major websites, and became more expensive.

Controlling the Visual Story

The link between the two amphibian symbols – lies in the dynamic between the silly, innocent image and serious intent. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The strategy is based on what the professor calls a "disarming display" – often silly, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" act that calls attention to your ideas without needing directly articulating them. This is the goofy costume you wear, or the meme circulated.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and an experienced participant. He authored a book called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops internationally.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

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

As protesters confront the state, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences