The original golden "23" set piece from Melon Drop 1988 was discovered in storage and given a fresh coat of paint and re-used.
Old cast members from the 1988 and 1989 specials were contacted and resurrected their roles for the characters: Rusty & Dusty Fields, and Buck Munson.
Although it appeared live on TV, it was all completely produced ahead of time. None of it was "Live"