Curiosidades

This episode marked the first time a recurring character has been killed off on the show. The writers and production team felt that it would be a good, emotional storyline, which, through Lisa, could focus on the theme of grief. They decided that it could not be one of the main characters; Al Jean joked that "we wouldn't want it to be someone like Mr. Burns, that we'd obviously want to see in the show again." Eventually, Jean decided on Bleeding Gums Murphy, a character introduced in the season one episode Moaning Lisa (1990); a flashback to "Moaning Lisa" is featured in the episode. Murphy was a fairly minor character, only appearing in a couple of episodes, but he appeared in the show's opening sequence and remained there after this episode, until the opening was redesigned in season 20. Steven Dean Moore's first ever job on the show was in the animation department for "Moaning Lisa," so he appreciated being able to direct this episode. Mike Reiss stated, "I had been polling for years to kill Marge's mom but this was a better idea."

When Mufasa appears in the clouds, he says "You must avenge my death, Kimba," before correcting himself and saying "Simba." This is a nod to the numerous similarities between Kimba, el león blanco (1965) and El rey león (1994).

Lionel Hutz's "crack team of lawyers", Robert Shaporo and Albert Dershman, are parodies of Robert Shapiro and Alan Dershowitz, two of the defense attorneys at the O.J. Simpson murder case. The three drive away in a white pickup truck, similar to the Ford Bronco that Al Cowlings and O.J. Simpson drove in their televised low-speed pursuit before Simpson's arrest.

Barney's attempt to get a drink at Moe's Tavern for an AA chip is a reference to a popular legend that these can be cashed in at bars.

Due to Fox's demand for 24 to 25 episodes per season, which the production staff found impossible to meet, two episodes of each season were written and produced by former showrunners, to relieve the stress on the writing staff. Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who were showrunners for the show's third and fourth seasons, returned to produce this episode, as well as A Star Is Burns (1995), instead of the season's main showrunner David Mirkin. On both episodes, they were aided by the staff of El crítico (1994), the show the two left The Simpsons to create. Joshua Sternin and Jennifer Ventimilia were writers on The Critic and were big fans of The Simpsons, so were thrilled to be able to write an episode.