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The resistance isn't broadcast, though it may feature webbed feet and large eyes.

It also might feature a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

While protests against the government carry on in American cities, protesters have embraced the vibe of a local block party. They've provided salsa lessons, distributed snacks, and ridden unicycles, as officers observe.

Blending comedy and political action – an approach experts call "tactical frivolity" – is not new. But it has become a hallmark of US demonstrations in the current era, embraced by both left and right.

A specific icon has proven to be particularly salient – the frog. It started after video footage of a confrontation between a man in an inflatable frog and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, went viral. It subsequently appeared to protests nationwide.

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

From a Cartoon Frog to Portland

It is difficult to examine protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, a cartoon character co-opted by far-right groups during a political race.

As the meme initially spread on the internet, it was used to signal certain emotions. Later, it was deployed to express backing for a candidate, including one notable meme shared by the candidate personally, depicting Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in offensive ways, portrayed as a historical dictator. Online conservatives exchanged "unique frog images" and established digital currency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", was deployed a coded signal.

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

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his unhappiness for its appropriation. The character was intended as simply a relaxed amphibian in his comic world.

The frog first appeared in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – non-political and notable for a particular bathroom habit. In a documentary, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his creation, he said his drawing came from his experiences with companions.

Early in his career, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to the nascent social web, where people online began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As its popularity grew into darker parts of online spaces, Mr Furie tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"This demonstrates that creators cannot own symbols," says the professor. "They can change and shift and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the notoriety of Pepe meant that amphibian imagery were largely associated with conservative politics. But that changed on a day in October, when a viral moment between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland went viral.

The event occurred shortly after an order to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Demonstrators began to assemble in large numbers outside a facility, near an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and an agent deployed a chemical agent at the individual, aiming directly into the opening of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, quipped, remarking he had tasted "something milder". But the incident spread everywhere.

Mr Todd's attire was somewhat typical for the city, famous for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that revel in the unusual – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume even played a role in a lawsuit between the administration and the city, which claimed the use of troops was illegal.

Although the court ruled that month that the administration had the right to deploy troops, one judge dissented, mentioning demonstrators' "propensity for using unusual attire while voicing their disagreement."

"Some might view the majority's ruling, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber wrote. "Yet the outcome goes beyond absurdity."

The action was stopped legally subsequently, and troops withdrew from the area.

Yet already, the amphibian costume had transformed into a significant protest icon for progressive movements.

The costume was seen across the country at anti-authoritarian protests recently. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was sold out on major websites, and became more expensive.

Shaping the Visual Story

What brings both frogs together – is the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The tactic relies on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – often silly, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" display that calls attention to a message without directly articulating them. It's the silly outfit you wear, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He's written a book on the subject, and taught workshops around the world.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

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

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