The Long History of Frogs as Protest Symbols

It’s thought Like “Where’s Waldo?” For the anti-Trump movement: Last Saturday, as About 7 million people American cities are filled for the last “No King” protestMany of them were seen wearing inflatable frog costumes.

The amphibians were easy to spot in the sea of ​​signs, and their motivation seemed clear: They saw images of protesters outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon,”Frogs are stronger togetherMarks and suits followed. The meme was spreading.

from the weekend, tiktok, InstagramBluesky, and other social media platforms are filled with pictures and videos of inflatable frogs on the streets. The TikTok Shop now offers “Portland Frog Protest Stickers” featuring the word “Resist.” In a time when people are posting through everything, it is expected that there will be protests or political theater To go viral. Even President Donald Trump reacted to Saturday’s incident to share An AI-generated video of a jet throwing excrement at American protesters. But what is happening with the frog is different. there is layer Meaning and function, from Pepe to pepper spray and beyond.

For one, there is the problem of surveillance. Americans have become increasingly aware that when they are protesting, they are being Authority surveillance. Dressing up like a cartoon frog or some other animal makes it harder for someone to recognize your face. As more people adopt the puffy green outfit, each wearer becomes more anonymous.

Then there is the absurdity factor. The costumed protesters offset the image of black-clad protesters often favored by Trump. In late September, as Trump wanted to deploy Oregon National Guard troops to Portland In response to the protest At the city’s ICE facility, he said “it’s anarchy in there.” (A judge later blocked the deployment.) In 2020, Trump sent federal law enforcement officers to Portland to deal with Black Lives Matter protests, and images emerging from the city looked like chaos, even if, As WIRED wrote at the time“You don’t see what’s happening on the street in tweets.” Earlier this month, the original Frogman, Seth Todd, told the New York Times The frog costume was intended to say “We are against the narrative of violent extremists.”

If someone is pepper-sprayed, it’s less likely they’ll say, “Maybe the frog deserves it,” said Brooks Brown, “co-promoter” of Operation Inflation, which is giving out free inflatables to protesters in the city. “You can’t do that with a frog or a unicorn or a wiener dog or SpongeBob,” adds Brown. “It breaks down people’s ability to justify victimization, and it makes violence look complete.”

Brown is quick to credit Todd for the costume idea. As people began joining Todd in other costumes, Brown, a YouTuber, said he partnered with another streamer to start Operation Inflation as a way to raise money to provide costumes to others. He didn’t say how much money they raised but said they delivered about 300 outfits, including 200 at last weekend’s No Kings protest. Clothing for Brown has become difficult to source and prices are rising