This episode takes place from November 1, 1953 to January 12, 1959.
On November 1, 1953, Kate Keys reads the children's book "The Adventures of Artemis P. Fonswick" by Hilda Bohem to her son Jesse. The author is named after Hilda Bohem, the mother of the series' creator and sole writer Leslie Bohem.
Without stating it overtly, this episode implies that hook-and-loop fasteners (popularly known as Velcro) is reverse-engineered alien technology. Velcro was invented and patented in 1955 by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral. It entered commercial production in the late 1950's, when this episode takes place.