The name of the tyrannical ruler of Applesauce-Lorraine, François Villain, is a spoof of medieval French poet and rogue François Villon, who has been portrayed on screen (in fictionalized accounts of his life) by William Farnum in If I Were King (1920), John Barrymore in The Beloved Rogue (1927), Dennis King in The Vagabond King (1930), Ronald Colman in If I Were King (1938), and Oreste Kirkop in The Vagabond King (1956).
In the Fan Club segment, Boris Badenov's alias as stage director Ingmar Badenov (writer and director of the melodrama "She Can't Pay the Rent") is a nod to Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman.
A sign above the entrance to the Chateau Briand prison reads, "Not For Years, Not For Life, But Guarded Forever". This is a spoof of a 1940s advertising slogan for Eversharp mechanical pencils, fountain pens, and ballpoint pens. The company promised service on its products for just 35 cents (for postage and handling), stating, "This service is guaranteed, not for years, not for life, but Guaranteed Forever!"