The first Toy Story film of any kind (feature film or short film) that did not include Hamm. Director Angus MacLane explained that this was because Bonnie had limited room for toys in her backpack and, "Who takes a piggy bank on a vacation?"
In the graveyard scene in the opening sequence, Betsy falls against a tombstone with the inscription, "RIP Simon J. Palladino - A public servant with a unique vision." Simon J. Palladino was the secret identity of Gazerbeam, a superhero with laser vision, in The Incredibles (2004).
Transitron is a nod to Transformers and Voltron.
In her first appearance in Toy Story 2, Jesse is terrified of being put in a box in storage. This special expands on that, suggesting that Jesse's fear is not merely that of being abandoned but actual claustrophobia.