When the food fight breaks out, Virgil shouts "Of course you realize this means war!". This is a famous quote of Bugs Bunny, Warner Bros. Animation's flagship character.
Thomas' transformation into the purple monster is reminiscent of The Incredible Hulk (1996) a character from Marvel Comics. In fact, one episode, Mind Over Anti-Matter (1997), featured Kevin Michael Richardson, who voices Robert Hawkins, playing an evil Alien Slayer who turned into Dark Hulk, a purple-skinned evil Hulk.