Amanda Carlin, who plays the loan manager, is the daughter of Frances Sternhagen who played Esther Clavin.
Carla always wears exotic earrings. During part of this episode her earrings are cigarettes, which is important to the story.
Bebe Neuwirth does not appear in this episode. Her name is removed from the opening credits.
The title refers to the Han Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name.
Norm's comment, "Oh, the humanity!" is a quote from the radio broadcast of the destruction of the zeppelin Hindenburg on May 6, 1937. Reporter Herbert Morrison of radio station WLS in Chicago was describing the landing of the famous airship at the Lakehurst, New Jersey Naval Air Station, recording it for later broadcast, when the ship burst into flames and crashed resulting in 36 fatalities; 62 of the 97 people on board survived. Morrison became emotionally overcome by the disaster unfolding in front of him, and his words were captured for posterity: "...it's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen; it's smoke and it's flames now, and the frame is crashing to the ground, not quite to the mooring mast; oh, the humanity, and all the passengers..."