Tingler's character model is a reuse of Cambro from The Heart of a Giant (1983). Both characters were treated as monsters until the main characters got to know them better and discovered they were actually friendly.
The village of Ruxtown and it's inhabitants made a brief prior appearance in Orko's New Friend (1985).
Fred Carrillo designed the villagers to resemble the peasants from Frankenstein (1931) and Emma to look like Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz (1939). He designed Buster the donkey in conjunction with Herb Hazelton.
The animation of Orko reacting in shock and pushing himself backwards was first seen in The Defection (1983).
The animation of He-Man chopping a rock with his magic sword was previously seen in Castle of Heroes (1983).