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From memes to movements: The rise of the protest frog
As demonstrations against the Trump administration sweep U.S. cities, activists are blending humor with dissent, turning inflatable frog costumes into a viral emblem of political defiance.
The birth of a symbol
The trend took off after a video from Portland, Oregon, showed a protester in a bulbous frog suit clashing with immigration enforcement agents. The footage, captured on October 2, went viral within days of President Trump deploying the National Guard to the city, which he described as "war-ravaged."
During the standoff, an officer sprayed a chemical agent directly into the costume's air intake. The protester, Seth Todd, quipped that he had tasted "spicier tamales," but the moment became a rallying cry. The frog, once associated with far-right memes, was reclaimed by the left as a symbol of resistance.
Pepe's controversial legacy
The frog's political journey began with Pepe the Frog, a cartoon character created by artist Matt Furie in 2005. Originally a laid-back, apolitical figure from Furie's comics, Pepe was co-opted by online communities, evolving into a meme embraced by Trump supporters during the 2016 election. The character was later weaponized by far-right groups, depicted as Adolf Hitler or a Ku Klux Klan member, and even inspired cryptocurrency.
Furie, who disavowed the frog's politicization, "killed off" Pepe in a 2017 comic strip. Yet the meme persisted, illustrating how symbols can escape their creators' control. "We don't control symbols," said LM Bogad, a University of California, Davis professor specializing in performance art. "They shift and are reworked."
Tactical frivolity: Humor as protest
The Portland frog embodies a strategy Bogad calls "tactical frivolity"-using absurdity to disarm opponents and reframe political narratives. The approach serves three purposes: controlling optics, setting a movement's tone, and providing political cover.
"A silly costume makes it look worse if you respond with violence," Bogad explained. It also fosters solidarity, as seen in Portland, where protests resembled "a radical costume ball." Historically, such tactics have offered protection in repressive regimes, from Serbia's Otpor movement to China's Winnie the Pooh memes.
"Authoritarians don't like to be laughed at. Without even giving a speech, you undermine the authoritarian script."
LM Bogad, University of California, Davis
From Portland to the world
The inflatable frog's popularity surged after the Portland incident. Costumes appeared at protests nationwide, from San Diego to Boston, and even in international cities like Tokyo and London. Amazon reported backorders, with prices spiking.
In Oregon, activists formed "Operation Inflation," a group distributing inflatable suits to protesters. Co-founder Brooks Brown described the effort as a way to "shift the story" away from Trump's portrayal of demonstrators as violent mobs. "Our job is to build a different stage," he said.
The group has since shipped over 350 outfits and plans to expand to other cities. The frog, once a far-right symbol, is now dubbed the "Antifa Frog" online, pitted against Pepe in memes depicting their ideological battle.
Legal and cultural ripple effects
The frog's cultural impact extended to the courtroom. In a dissenting opinion on Trump's National Guard deployment, Judge Susan Graber referenced Portland's protest culture, noting the city's "well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits, inflatable frog costumes, or nothing at all."
While courts initially upheld Trump's troop deployment, it was later blocked, and forces withdrew from Portland. The frog, however, remains a fixture of modern protest, illustrating how symbols can evolve beyond their origins to challenge power.
