In order to improve her chances of getting her part, Carla Gugino lied about her age, claiming to be 14 when she was actually 16. After 3 weeks into the shoot she divulged her real age to the director, by which time it was already too late to replace her.
When Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon are seen jogging, Annette is singing the lyrics to her 1959 hit single 'Tall Paul' ("Chalk on the sidewalk...writing on the wall...").
John Kricfalusi, who created Ren & Stimpy (1991), worked on the animation intro and specifically drew the Shelley Long character.
Lily's mother was modeled after Imelda Marcos, former First Lady of the Philippines. There are 'in-jokes' made about Karina's husband being a dictator and how Karina has thousands of pairs of shoes (as Imelda did). Also, the couple have a son, Ferdinand Jr., who is fondly called Bong Bong.