🔗 Share this article

The revolution won't be televised, though it may feature webbed feet and protruding eyes.

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

As rallies against the leadership continue in US cities, demonstrators have embraced the vibe of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've provided salsa lessons, distributed snacks, and performed on unicycles, as officers observe.

Combining humour and politics – a tactic researchers term "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a defining feature of American protest in recent years, adopted by both left and right.

A specific icon has emerged as especially powerful – the frog. It began when video footage of a confrontation between an individual in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, went viral. It subsequently appeared to demonstrations across the country.

"There's a lot at play with that humble inflatable frog," states LM Bogad, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on creative activism.

From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to talk about protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, a cartoon character adopted by far-right groups during a previous presidential campaign.

When the character initially spread on the internet, people used it to signal certain emotions. Later, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, including a particular image retweeted by that figure himself, showing the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, as a historical dictator. Online conservatives exchanged "rare Pepes" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was used a coded signal.

However its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

Its creator, the illustrator, has stated about his distaste for its co-option. Pepe was supposed to be simply a "chill frog-dude" in his comic world.

This character first appeared in comic strips in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a quirky behavior. A film, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his creation, he said the character was inspired by his experiences with companions.

As he started out, Mr Furie experimented with uploading his work to new websites, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of the internet, the creator attempted to distance himself from his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"This demonstrates that creators cannot own imagery," states the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

Until recently, the notoriety of this meme meant that frogs became a symbol for conservative politics. But that changed on a day in October, when an incident between an activist dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

This incident occurred shortly after a decision to deploy military personnel to the city, which was called "war-ravaged". Protesters began to assemble in large numbers at a specific location, just outside of a federal building.

Emotions ran high and an agent sprayed a chemical agent at a protester, targeting the air intake fan of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, quipped, stating it tasted like "spicier tamales". However, the video spread everywhere.

The frog suit was not too unusual for Portland, renowned for its eccentric vibe and left-wing protests that delight in the ridiculous – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol became part of in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and Portland, which claimed the deployment was unlawful.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the administration had the right to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning the protesters' "known tendency for donning inflatable costumes when expressing dissent."

"It is easy to see the court's opinion, which adopts the description of Portland as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge opined. "But today's decision is not merely absurd."

The deployment was stopped legally just a month later, and personnel have reportedly departed the area.

However, by that time, the frog was now a powerful protest icon for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit was spotted in many cities at No Kings protests recently. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in small towns and big international cities abroad.

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

Shaping the Optics

What connects both frogs together – lies in the dynamic between the humorous, benign cartoon and serious intent. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The strategy rests on what the professor calls the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" display that draws focus to your ideas without explicitly stating them. It's the goofy costume you wear, or the symbol you share.

The professor is an analyst on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He's written a book called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to speak the truth indirectly and while maintaining plausible deniability."

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

When activists confront authority, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences