From Right-Wing Icon to Resistance Symbol: The Surprising Evolution of the Frog

This protest movement isn't televised, though it may feature webbed feet and protruding eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

As rallies against the administration continue in American cities, participants have embraced the vibe of a local block party. They've provided dance instruction, handed out treats, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement watch.

Combining humour and political action – an approach researchers call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a defining feature of protests in the United States in the current era, adopted by various groups.

A specific icon has proven to be particularly salient – the frog. It started when recordings of a confrontation between a man in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, became an internet sensation. From there, it proliferated to demonstrations nationwide.

"A great deal at play with that small blow-up amphibian," says an expert, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies creative activism.

The Path From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to examine protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, a cartoon character adopted by online communities during a political race.

When this image initially spread online, people used it to signal certain emotions. Subsequently, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, including one notable meme retweeted by the candidate personally, portraying the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in certain internet forums in more extreme scenarios, portrayed as a historical dictator. Participants traded "rare Pepes" and established digital currency in his name. His catchphrase, "that feels good", became an inside joke.

However its beginnings were not this divisive.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his unhappiness for its co-option. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

The frog first appeared in comic strips in 2005 – apolitical and famous for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his creation, he said the character came from his time with companions.

Early in his career, the artist experimented with uploading his work to new websites, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of online spaces, Mr Furie tried to disavow the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

"It shows that we don't control symbols," explains the professor. "They transform and be reworked."

For a long time, the association of this meme meant that amphibian imagery were largely associated with the right. This shifted recently, when a viral moment between an activist wearing an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland spread rapidly online.

The moment occurred shortly after a decision to send the National Guard to the city, which was described as "a warzone". Demonstrators began to congregate on a single block, near a federal building.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer sprayed pepper spray at the individual, aiming directly into the opening of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, Seth Todd, quipped, saying he had tasted "spicier tamales". Yet the footage became a sensation.

The costume fit right in for the city, renowned for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that revel in the absurd – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume was also referenced in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which claimed the use of troops was illegal.

While a judge decided that month that the president had the right to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "known tendency for using unusual attire when expressing dissent."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as merely absurd," the dissenting judge wrote. "But today's decision is not merely absurd."

The action was stopped legally just a month later, and troops have reportedly departed the city.

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

The inflatable suit was spotted in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests recently. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in small towns and big international cities abroad.

The frog costume was backordered on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Shaping the Narrative

What connects the two amphibian symbols – is the interplay between the silly, innocent image and a deeper political meaning. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

This approach rests on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it acts as a "disarming and charming" act that calls attention to a message without explicitly stating them. This is the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol you share.

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

"You could go back to historical periods – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

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

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