The scene where Stanley (Tom Arnold) and Petunia (Alex McKenna) walk into an empty auditorium and assume they have died is a reference to the book "The Stupids Die". In that book, the entire Stupid family experiences a blackout in their home, leading them all to believe that they have suddenly passed away.
Mark Metcalf's character, Colonel Neidermeyer, is a reprise of his role in American College (1978), despite the epilogue of that movie stating that Neidermeyer was killed by his own troops in Vietnam.
During filming, Tom Arnold became so exasperated with the script that he would frequently ask director John Landis, "Is this supposed to be funny?"
The song "I'm My Own Grandpaw", which Tom Arnold performs during the talk show scene, is a classic novelty song that was originally recorded by Lonzo and Oscar in 1947. Many cover versions of the song were released before this film featured the song.
The family in this movie is based on the children's book series of the same name, which was written by Harry Allard and illustrated by James Marshall.
John Landis: [filmmakers] Appearances by directors Gurinder Chadha, Costa-Gavras, David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Mick Garris, Norman Jewison, Gillo Pontecorvo, and Robert Wise.