🔗 Share this article

The protest movement isn't broadcast, yet it might possess amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

Additionally, it could include a unicorn's horn or the plumage of a chicken.

As demonstrations against the leadership persist in US cities, protesters have embraced the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've provided dance instruction, distributed snacks, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement look on.

Mixing levity and politics – a tactic experts call "tactical frivolity" – is not new. However, it has emerged as a signature characteristic of protests in the United States in recent years, embraced by all sides of the political spectrum.

One particular emblem has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It began after recordings of an encounter between an individual in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. And it has since spread to protests across the country.

"There is much happening with that little frog costume," says LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in performance art.

The Path From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It's hard to examine protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, a cartoon character co-opted by extremist movements throughout an election cycle.

As this image first took off on the internet, people used it to convey specific feelings. Subsequently, it was deployed to endorse a candidate, including one notable meme shared by that figure himself, showing the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in certain internet forums in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Participants exchanged "rare Pepes" and established cryptocurrency in his name. His catchphrase, "that feels good", became an inside joke.

However Pepe didn't start out this divisive.

Its creator, the illustrator, has been vocal about his distaste for its appropriation. Pepe was supposed to be simply a relaxed amphibian in this artist's universe.

The frog first appeared in comic strips in 2005 – non-political and famous for a quirky behavior. A film, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to take back of his creation, he explained his drawing came from his experiences with friends and roommates.

When he began, the artist experimented with uploading his work to new websites, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As its popularity grew into the more extreme corners of online spaces, the creator tried to disavow the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It proves that creators cannot own symbols," says the professor. "They transform and be reclaimed."

Until recently, the popularity of this meme meant that frogs were predominantly linked to the right. But that changed on a day in October, when a viral moment between an activist dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The moment followed a decision to send military personnel to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Activists began to gather in droves on a single block, just outside of an ICE office.

The situation was tense and a officer used pepper spray at a protester, directing it into the opening of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, quipped, remarking he had tasted "spicier tamales". Yet the footage went viral.

The frog suit was not too unusual for the city, known for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that delight in the unusual – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog was also referenced in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which argued the deployment overstepped authority.

Although the court ruled in October that the president had the right to deploy troops, one judge dissented, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "known tendency for using unusual attire while voicing dissent."

"Some might view this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as merely absurd," the dissenting judge stated. "But today's decision is not merely absurd."

The action was stopped legally just a month later, and troops are said to have left the city.

Yet already, the frog had transformed into a potent protest icon for the left.

The costume was seen nationwide at No Kings protests last autumn. Amphibian costumes were present – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was sold out on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Mastering the Visual Story

What connects both frogs together – is the relationship between the silly, innocent image and a deeper political meaning. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The strategy relies on what the professor calls the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" act that calls attention to a message without needing directly articulating them. This is the silly outfit used, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is an analyst on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a text on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

"One can look back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to speak the truth a little bit and still have plausible deniability."

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

As activists confront a powerful opposition, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences