Heraldry is a visual language that often leaves modern viewers surprised. While we usually associate coats of arms with majestic creatures, many are actually canting arms—visual puns where the name of a place or family is literally illustrated. For example, the Kanepi municipality in Estonia features a cannabis leaf because its name derives from the word for hemp. Similarly, the Dutch town of Hensbroek displays a hen wearing pants, a direct play on its name meaning "chicken pants".

Some designs lean into bravery through humor, like the Colleoni family of Italy. Their shield features stylized testicles, a pun on their surname, used by the famous mercenary Bartolomeo Colleoni to emphasize his virility. Other symbols reflect specific regional folklore. The Sicily coat of arms features the Trinacria, a three-legged figure representing the island's three capes, while Kröpelin in Germany depicts a man crawling to commemorate a local founding myth.

Modern history has also left its mark on heraldry. The Russian city of Zheleznogorsk, a former hub for plutonium production, features a bear splitting an atom, symbolizing the taming of nuclear energy. Even moments of defiance have been immortalized, such as the shield of Jean Doyard, which shows a hand flipping the middle finger, likely a sarcastic response to 17th-century taxation. These "odd" designs prove that official symbols have long possessed a sense of humor and personality.