All the toys made and bought for the Santa's workshop scenes were donated to children's charities for Christmas after shooting was complete.
Real deer were trained to pull the sleigh. The crew required months to complete the training which also allowed the deer to grow their antlers for the final filming. For shots where it was not possible to use the deer, sophisticated animatronic deer were used.
John Lithgow, who is second billed and the main bad guy, doesn't appear until more than an hour into the film. Not dissimilar from the Salkind's previous epic "Superman: The Movie" where second billed Gene Hackman doesn't appear as Lex Luthor till midway through the film.
The movie had promotional ties with McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Pabst Blue Ribbon. McDonald's gave away one of four books with each happy meal, which chronicled the story of the film. A plush reindeer ornament was also offered free with the purchase of a $5 gift certificate booklet. The movie itself showed scenes of people eating at McDonald's.
The theme song for the film "It's Christmas (All Over the World)" was written with Freddie Mercury in mind. Mercury recorded a demo for the song at Pinewood Studios, but ultimately turned it down as he was already committed to the Highlander soundtrack. In the end, Sheena Easton was chosen to sing the theme. The boy group New Edition would record a version that same year.
Ilya Salkind, Pierre Spengler: the two men standing standing behind Joe when he is watching the Patch commercial through the store window.