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This revolution won't be televised, but it could have webbed feet and bulging eyes.

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

As demonstrations against the government carry on in American cities, protesters have embraced the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've provided salsa lessons, handed out snacks, and ridden unicycles, as officers look on.

Mixing levity and political action – a strategy experts term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of US demonstrations in this period, embraced by various groups.

One particular emblem has proven to be particularly salient – the frog. It originated when video footage of a confrontation between an individual in an amphibian costume and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, went viral. It subsequently appeared to demonstrations across the country.

"A great deal happening with that little blow-up amphibian," states a professor, who teaches at University of California, Davis and an academic who specialises in performance art.

From a Cartoon Frog to Portland

It is difficult to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without mentioning Pepe, a cartoon character co-opted by online communities throughout an election cycle.

Initially, when this image first took off on the internet, its purpose was to express specific feelings. Afterwards, it was utilized to express backing for a candidate, including a particular image shared by the candidate personally, depicting Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in digital spaces in offensive ways, as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and established digital currency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was used a coded signal.

However Pepe didn't start out this divisive.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his distaste for its appropriation. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

The frog debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a particular bathroom habit. In a documentary, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his work, he explained the character came from his experiences with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie experimented with uploading his work to early internet platforms, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of the internet, the creator tried to disavow his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows the lack of control over symbols," explains Prof Bogad. "They can change and shift and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the popularity of this meme resulted in amphibian imagery became a symbol for conservative politics. This shifted in early October, when a viral moment between a protestor dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

This incident occurred shortly after an order to deploy military personnel to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Protesters began to assemble in large numbers outside a facility, near a federal building.

Tensions were high and an immigration officer deployed irritant at a protester, directing it into the opening of the puffy frog costume.

Seth Todd, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, saying he had tasted "something milder". Yet the footage became a sensation.

Mr Todd's attire was not too unusual for Portland, famous for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that revel in the unusual – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume was also referenced in a lawsuit between the federal government and Portland, which argued the deployment was unlawful.

Although the court ruled that month that the president was within its rights to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning the protesters' "well-known penchant for using unusual attire while voicing opposition."

"Some might view the court's opinion, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she opined. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The deployment was halted by courts subsequently, and personnel have reportedly departed the city.

But by then, the amphibian costume had transformed into a potent anti-administration symbol for the left.

The inflatable suit appeared in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. Amphibian costumes were present – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was in high demand on major websites, and saw its cost increase.

Controlling the Optics

The link between both frogs together – is the interplay between the silly, innocent image and a deeper political meaning. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The strategy rests on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "disarming and charming" performance that highlights your ideas without obviously explaining them. It's the goofy costume used, or the symbol circulated.

Mr Bogad is an analyst in the subject and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a book called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars internationally.

"One can look back to historical periods – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to express dissent indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The purpose of such tactics is three-fold, he explains.

When protesters take on a powerful opposition, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences