Instead of Starfire, Madame Rouge mistakenly mentions her as Firestar. Firestar is a Marvel Comics superheroine.
Hotspot is based on the Teen Titan known as Joto in the comic book series; Joto is swahili for heat. Joto became a member of the reformed second group of Teen Titans in "Teen Titans" (vol. 2) #1. In this episode, Hotspot appears 'powered down' for the first time. His human form looks much like his comic book secret identity.
Character designer Derrick Wyatt has yet another cameo, this time as a patron of the Moroccan marketplace.
In the original comic storyline, the evil Wildebeest Society was defeated by the Titans, leaving them with a baby Wildebeest in "The New Titans" #85. Baby Wildebeest was a genetic experiment created by the evil society. The docile baby would hulk-out to a giant Wildebeest creature to defend his newfound friends, the Titans.
Madame Rouge has an interesting backstory in the comic books. As a stage actress, Laura De Mille was infamous for her ability to assume almost any persona, using her skill with makeup. Unfortunately, Laura received a blow to her head in an auto accident, which caused her to develop a split personality. The Brain offered to have Mallah perform some curative surgery on Laura. It was a success; instead of being half-good/half-evil, Laura was now completely evil - a result the Brain had engineered in advance. Her disguise ability gave her high position in the Brotherhood of Evil. These events were revealed in flashback in "Doom Patrol" #112. Later, the Brain gave Laura powers of true disguise, which included the ability to mold her features and stretch her body in "Doom Patrol" #90. Madame Rouge often used her disguise abilities to gain a sense of trust before striking, as seen in this episode.