HOUSTON AND SAN ANTONIO, Texas — As the federal government shutdown moved through day 18, Democrats focused on organizing protests in all 50 states. In San Antonio and Houston, the two largest cities in Texas, several protesters chose to show up wearing inflatable costumes inspired by an anti-ICE protester in Portland who sported an inflatable frog costume weeks ago.
The protesters wearing inflatable costumes may have been prompted by social media posts encouraging protesters to bring the inflatables to the protests on Saturday.
A mix of inflatable characters march in Houston and San Antonio No-Kings Protests (Randy Clark/Lana Shadwick/Bob Price, Breitbart Texas)
One posting on Instagram titled Operation Inflation suggested the tactic saying, “PORTLAND!!! We love you!!! Keep up the incredible work! Keep spreading the peace, fun and love! The greatest act of resistance in the face of darkness is radical joy. Help us spread the fun and supply more protesters with inflatable costumes to show the world is about: love, community, and whimsy! We’ll see you this weekend for #nokings!”
The post contained an image of a protest sign bearing a cartoon-like image of a frog’s face that read “Don’t Obey.” An identical sign appeared in San Antonio’s No-Kings protest march.
Frog “Don’t Obey” sign in San Antonio (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
In Houston, a “Don’t Obey” style chant became laced with profanities.
The frog became an overnight sensation in the anti-ICE protest movement after an ICE agent was seen spraying pepper spray into the air intake of a person wearing the frog inflatable costume.
The viral video was circulated on social media, showing law enforcement spraying pepper spray into the intake fan of one protester who may have hoped the costume would protect against non-lethal chemical munitions deployed to disperse the unruly crowds.
A woman in Houston wears a frog hat in honor of the Portland Anti-ICE protester (Lana Shadwick/Breitbart Texas)
Breitbart Texas No Kings Day protests in the heart of downtown San Antonio and Houston, and observed identical signage carried by several protesters in the company of others wearing the inflatable costumes that included large chickens, cows, dinosaurs, and other cartoon characters.
The use of the costumes became a fixture during anti-ICE protests carried out at a Portland, Oregon, U.S. Immigration and Customs detention facility. The protests have gone on nightly for months and have involved protesters throwing rocks and debris at agents attempting to protect the facility.
More inflatables and cartoon characters at Houston No-Kings Protest (Bob Price/Breitbart Texas)
The inflatables are organized under “Operation Inflation” as an effort to deflate the tension at potentially violent protests. Organizers seek to “inflate the good vibes.”
Since the viral frog-spraying incident in Portland, sales of inflatable frog costumes on Amazon soared to more than 800 in a single month, according to WKYC.
The frog has become the mascot for Operation Inflation. Other characters and their roles include:
- Chickens — used to mock perceived cowardice or authoritarianism
- Unicorns and Dragons — symbolizing fantasy and radical joy
- Sharks, Ducks, Squids, and Dinasaurs — called whimsical characters to lighten the mood
- Additionally, other cartoon characters are utilized to defuse tension and draw attention to the protests.
Many of these inflatable characters were seen on Saturday across Texas and the entire nation during more than 2,500 No-Kings protests.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She is a trial lawyer specializing in family law and criminal defense in East Texas. Previously, she served as a Texas prosecutor and family court associate judge in Harris County, Texas.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
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