🔗 Share this article

This protest movement isn't televised, but it could have webbed feet and bulging eyes.

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

While rallies opposing the leadership continue in US cities, protesters have embraced the vibe of a community costume parade. They've offered salsa lessons, handed out treats, and performed on unicycles, as armed law enforcement look on.

Blending comedy and politics – a strategy social scientists call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. But it has become a defining feature of protests in the United States in the current era, used by various groups.

And one symbol has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It originated after recordings of an encounter between a protester in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, went viral. It subsequently appeared to demonstrations nationwide.

"A great deal going on with that little frog costume," notes LM Bogad, a professor at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies political performance.

The Path From Pepe to Portland

It is difficult to discuss protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, a web comic frog embraced by far-right groups throughout an election cycle.

Initially, when the character initially spread online, its purpose was to signal certain emotions. Later, it was utilized to endorse a candidate, even one notable meme endorsed by the candidate himself, depicting the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in digital spaces in darker contexts, as a historical dictator. Online conservatives traded "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency using its likeness. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was used a shared phrase.

But its beginnings were not so controversial.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his disapproval for how the image has been used. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

The frog debuted in comic strips in the mid-2000s – non-political and best known for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to take back of his work, he explained his drawing was inspired by his experiences with friends and roommates.

As he started out, Mr Furie experimented with sharing his art to early internet platforms, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As its popularity grew into fringe areas of the internet, Mr Furie sought to reject the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

"It proves that we don't control symbols," states the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the association of this meme meant that frogs became a symbol for the right. This shifted in early October, when a viral moment between an activist wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland captured global attention.

This incident followed an order to send military personnel to the city, which was described as "a warzone". Activists began to congregate at a specific location, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and a officer deployed irritant at the individual, directing it into the ventilation of the costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, saying he had tasted "something milder". Yet the footage went viral.

The costume fit right in for Portland, renowned for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that embrace the unusual – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. The city's unofficial motto is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and Portland, which argued the deployment overstepped authority.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the president had the right to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "propensity for using unusual attire while voicing opposition."

"Observers may be tempted this decision, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber opined. "Yet the outcome has serious implications."

The order was stopped legally just a month later, and personnel withdrew from the city.

But by then, the amphibian costume had transformed into a powerful anti-administration symbol for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit was spotted nationwide at No Kings protests recently. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

This item was sold out on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Shaping the Visual Story

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

This approach is based on what Mr Bogad terms the "irresistible image" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "disarming and charming" act that draws focus to a message without needing explicitly stating them. This is the goofy costume used, or the meme circulated.

Mr Bogad is both an expert in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He's written a text on the subject, and taught workshops internationally.

"You could go back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The purpose of this approach is three-fold, Mr Bogad explains.

When activists take on a powerful opposition, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences