Writer and Director Mike Judge came up with the idea for the film while he was visiting Disneyland with his family and saw two mothers, with kids in strollers, fighting and cursing at each other. He thought it would be horrible if humanity was like this in the future.
In addition to concerns about how to market the film, Twentieth Century Fox also grew weary of the film's frequent, harsh critiques of recognizable corporations. Studio executives wished to shuffle the movie to DVD shelves as quickly and quietly as possible. The film's contract stipulated that it had to receive a theatrical release. The studio met the terms of the contract, but provided no marketing for the film, released it in an unusually small number of cinemas in select cities, and pulled the film in all markets after only one week. So little effort was put into showing the film in theaters, that some of the few cinemas that screened the film were forced to promote it as "Untitled Mike Judge Project" in their lists of coming attractions.
Mike Judge appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience (2009) podcast in June of 2022 (Mike Judge (2022)). He talked about the limited filming budget for Idiocracy, and how the film's costume designer needed to find futuristic-looking (but inexpensive) footwear for the whole cast. According to Judge, she proposed using a small startup company that "wasn't out in the world yet." "Look at these horrible plastic shoes with holes in them," she said. "We could really save a lot of money, just put everyone in these things." Judge replied, "But what if by the time the movie comes out, what if everyone's... what if these become popular, and people are wearing them?" The costume designer said, "Oh, these are never going to become popular. No one would ever wear these things, they're horrible." The shoes you see in the film are Crocs.
(at around 19 mins) The very small Surgeon General's warning seen on the Tarrylton's Cigarettes billboard reads: "Warning: The Surgeon General has one lung and a voicebox but he could still kick your sorry ass".
(at around 39 mins) When Joe (Luke Wilson) is being apprehended by the police in Costco, the background screens display why he is wanted: "For being a dick" "For escaping from jail" "For fucking up lots of shit".
Mike Judge: The voice of the announcer at the demolition derby. He also voices the announcer of The Masturbation Network.