The character of Minimoose in this episode was supposed to be in an episode called Nubs of Doom, in which Zim, fed up with GIR, tries to create a new, better sidekick. Because of the series cancellation, Nubs of Doom was shelved and all efforts were put into finishing the Christmas episode. However, with Minimoose appearing in the special, they added in Zim's line, "That's Minimoose, my OTHER sidekick. Yep, been with me the whole time," to explain the character to the audience.