James Sie, who plays the cabbage merchant, was the original voice actor of the same character in the animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005).
In Community (2009), Danny Pudi (Abed) references the 2010 remake of The Last Airbender. As the FBI is confiscating a bootlegged DVD of the movie, Abed jokes, "Where were you a week ago?" In this series (2024), Danny Pudi plays the Mechanist.
This episode combines elements from multiple episodes from the animated series: The King of Omashu (S1E5), The Waterbending Scroll (S1E9), Jet (S1E10), and The Northern Air Temple (S1E17).
At 16:35 Sokka is standing behind a jar marked with a Flamel (a snake encircling a cross, with wings and a crown). It is also the symbol that Edward Elric (another user of the elements) wears in FullMetal Alchemist.