The horse's name, Belmont, refers to the famous racetrack.
The whistle on sailor duck's boat was later used for Smudger's whistle from Thomas & Friends (1984).
"Together at Christmas" was written specifically for this special. Later, Muppets from Sesame Street (1969) and The Muppet Show (1976) sang it in A Muppet Family Christmas (1987), at the end of the Christmas song medley.
The special led to the spin-off The Secret Life of Toys (1994). Rugby, Ditz, Mew, and Balthazar are regulars, along with a female horse named Hortense and a rag doll named Raisin.
Kermit the Frog: In the introduction, he falls down the chimney, dressed as Santa, to introduce the characters. Newer DVD releases cut Kermit's appearance, but it was reinstated for streaming.