Danielle Fishel (Topanga) was allegedly not allowed to cut her hair for several years. When she was finally allowed to, she incorporated it into Boy Meets World (particularly this episode).
In the episode, they refer to the "Elephant Man" as "John Merrick," which was the name used in the 1980 film "The Elephant Man." However, the actual "Elephant Man" was named "Joseph Merrick."
The episode's title is a riff off of the idiom "Here today, gone tomorrow."