At the beginning of this episode, Tootie says how she "grew up" with the Jackson Five, and there are scoffing references to her knowing and being a "friend" to Jermaine Jackson. In real life, Kim Fields personally knew and was friends with Jermaine and the other Jackson family members.
Michael Jackson was first offered the guest-starring role for the episode but turned it down.
At the time of the production of this episode, in 1982, Michael and Jermaine Jackson had successful solo careers. However, when Michael turned down this episode, series producers asked Jermaine to be in it, noting his comparable popularity. Within a year, however, with the release of his 1983 Thriller album Michael Jackson would launch to the level of superstardom that would eclipse Jermaine's superstardom that lasted for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, Jermaine's popularity as a top pop artist would wane.
Guest stars Pamela Springsteen and Jere Fields went on to appear in sequels of famous slasher movie franchises. Pamela starred in Sleepaway Camp II (1988) and Sleepaway Camp III (1989) as Angela and Jere was in Friday The 13th Part 5: A New Beginning (1985) as Anita.