Answer is TOADS. If you google comic strip in swamp you are sure to hit something talking about Walt Kelly's "POGO". Read a post or a wikipedia page or two and you will see some names of the main characters, probably Albert, Churchy LaFemme, and Howland Owl, at least. You will recognize those as entries in the grid and you will realize we probably need to find characters in the grid. Do a bit of research and you will find Beauregard Bugleboy and Mam'zelle Hepzibah. [Sorry, about
FLO15DProgressive Insurance spokesperson
[---] . That was not part of the meta but their may (or may not) by a minor bug referred to as Flo. Sorry. Sometimes entries slip in.]
60A60ACritters (and a clue to the meta)
[-------] tells you that
ANIMALS60ACritters (and a clue to the meta)
[-------] are clue, so you ask yourself what animals the characters are and they are:
Hepzibah- Skunk.
Frogs as minor characters appear frequently. Toads are not as common but they do occasionally. Frogs are often referred to as hoppy-toads and the distinction seems... er, amphibious.