Oct 22 2025 | Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief
Portland, Oregon saw hundreds of protesters reportedly donning inflatable animal costumes at the city’s “No Kings” protest Oct. 18, one of more than 2,000 “No Kings” protests that took place across America. Organizers of the “No Kings” protests estimate nearly seven million attendees nationwide, with Portland being a news-garnering hotspot after Donald Trump won his push for National Guard troops to be deployed into the city to defend federal agents, pending further legal approval.
Prior to Saturday’s “No Kings” protest, one Portland local drew premature attention for posting up Oct. 2 outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building just off of I-5.
Seth Todd, 24, was wearing a large, puffy, green inflatable frog costume outside of the facility, when the protest escalated — resulting in a federal agent directing a stream of chemical spray into the costume’s air vent. According to Oregon Live, Todd went to help another protester who was allegedly shoved to the ground by a federal agent when he was assaulted with the spray. Despite the altercation, Todd claimed to be fine, stating that he’s “definitely had spicier tamales” than what was directed into his costume.
Caught on camera and uploaded to TikTok, a whirlwind of media attention pointed at Todd, dubbing him with various names: “Antifa Frog,” “Portland Frog” and “Protest Frog” being some of the more common aliases. In his wake, more frogs showed up the following evening at the facility in support. Later in the month, numbers doubled and tripled as frogs took to the streets, spanning Oregon’s multitude of protests.
Various frog paraphernalia popped up across the country in tandem with the “No Kings” protests, broadcasting support and allegiance with Todd after he began a motion of peace and resistance using inflatable animal costumes.
The future of said inflatables is undecided, with the expected utilization of National Guard troops in Portland inching closer and closer. News organizations have noted a consistent presence of “hundreds” rallying in the evening outside Portland’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building as recently as Sunday, Oct. 19. Protesters and counter-protesters engaged in physical altercations, leading to multiple arrests by police; at another time, federal agents deployed tear gas into the crowd.
Despite rising tensions, the response from protesters has yet to quell. A newly-founded organization titled Operation Inflation asks for $35 donations to fund more costumes for protests against ICE, signifying the growing movement that started with Todd, and likely won’t end with him.
Contact the author at howleditorinchief@mail.wou.edu
