How Conservative Icon to Anti-ICE Icon: The Unexpected Transformation of the Frog

This revolution isn't televised, though it may feature amphibious toes and large eyes.

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

As protests against the administration persist in American cities, participants have embraced the energy of a community costume parade. They've provided dance instruction, given away snacks, and ridden unicycles, as police watch.

Blending humour and politics – a strategy researchers call "tactical frivolity" – is not new. But it has become a hallmark of US demonstrations in this period, used by all sides of the political spectrum.

A specific icon has risen to become notably significant – the frog. It began after video footage of an encounter between a protester in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, went viral. It subsequently appeared to protests across the country.

"A great deal at play with that small inflatable frog," states LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in performance art.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It's hard to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, a cartoon character embraced by far-right groups throughout an election cycle.

As the meme initially spread on the internet, it was used to express specific feelings. Later, its use evolved to show support for a political figure, including a particular image endorsed by the candidate himself, depicting Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in certain internet forums in offensive ways, as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and set up digital currency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", became a coded signal.

Yet its beginnings were not this divisive.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his distaste for its appropriation. Pepe was supposed to be simply a "chill frog-dude" in this artist's universe.

The frog debuted in comic strips in 2005 – non-political and best known for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which chronicles the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his creation, he said his drawing was inspired by his experiences with friends and roommates.

When he began, the artist tried sharing his art to early internet platforms, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of online spaces, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"This demonstrates that we don't control symbols," explains Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be repurposed."

Previously, the association of Pepe resulted in amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to the right. But that changed recently, when a viral moment between an activist wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland captured global attention.

This incident came just days after an order to send military personnel to the city, which was called "a warzone". Protesters began to gather in droves at a specific location, near a federal building.

The situation was tense and an immigration officer deployed irritant at a protester, aiming directly into the opening of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, saying it tasted like "spicier tamales". Yet the footage went viral.

The costume was somewhat typical for the city, known for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that embrace the unusual – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

This symbol was also referenced in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which argued the use of troops was unlawful.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the administration was within its rights to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "known tendency for using unusual attire when expressing their disagreement."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," Judge Susan Graber opined. "But today's decision has serious implications."

The order was halted by courts subsequently, and personnel are said to have left the area.

Yet already, the frog had become a significant protest icon for the left.

The costume appeared across the country at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in small towns and global metropolises abroad.

This item was in high demand on major websites, and saw its cost increase.

Shaping the Visual Story

The link between both frogs together – is the dynamic between the humorous, benign cartoon and serious intent. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what the professor terms the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" display that calls attention to a cause without needing explicitly stating them. This is the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol you share.

Mr Bogad is an analyst on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops internationally.

"You could go back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and still have a layer of protection."

The theory of this approach is three-fold, he says.

When protesters confront authority, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences