In "Down in the Dumps" the bear doll that chews Dee Dee's hair is based on a "Cabbage Patch Kids" doll that would chew plastic food, but was recalled when it chewed on a girl's hair.
This is the first episode Chris Savino had worked on since this episode. He later took over as a showrunner for seasons 3 and 4 which weren't well-liked after creator Genndy Tartakovsky left to work on Samurai Jack (2001).