The name of the Kirward Derby (the legendary hat that makes its wearer the smartest person in the world) is a spoof on the name of TV host Durward Kirby, who was reportedly none too pleased by the honor, and considered suing the show.
When a Washington, D.C., crowd awaits the arrival of the newly-elected congressman from a small town in Missouri (who turns out to be Rocky), Bullwinkle remarks that he "thought they already had one of those, once." A member of the welcome party replies, "Nope, he went back home again," and Bullwinkle says, "Too bad; he played a mean piano."
This could be a reference to U.S. President Harry S. Truman, a Missouri native who served as a U.S. Senator from 1935-1945, as Vice President briefly in 1945, and as President from 1945-1953, after which he returned to Missouri. (Truman was noted as a talented pianist.)
This could be a reference to U.S. President Harry S. Truman, a Missouri native who served as a U.S. Senator from 1935-1945, as Vice President briefly in 1945, and as President from 1945-1953, after which he returned to Missouri. (Truman was noted as a talented pianist.)
The feuding families of Peaceful Valley, Missouri, are the Hatfuls and the Floys, a spoof on the famous nineteenth-century feud between the Hatfield and McCoy families of West Virginia and Kentucky, respectively.