The episode was recorded on July 17 and 19, 1989. Dave Coulier and Rodger Bumpass recorded on July 17, 1989. Frank Welker, Maurice LaMarche, and Buster Jones recorded on July 19, 1989.
This episodes title is a play on "The Ransom of Red Chief," a short story by O. Henry.
This is the first episode of The Real Ghostbusters to feature the Containment Unit's "port hole", which was first introduced in the Slimer! episode "Don't Tease the Sleaze." This is the first of many elements introduced in the Slimer! episodes to be integrated into the mainstream episodes.
Grub, Larvy, and Mopes appear to be based on the Three Stooges.
On Spiderlegs' file, her name is misspelled as "Spiderless"