Ash initially cannot find his Poké Balls, save for Bulbasaur. However, after Pikachu and Sparky defeat Team Rocket, he immediately calls on Pidgeotto.
Team Rocket performs a Pokémon-themed parody of the folk song 99 Bottles of Beer in the dub on two separate occasions. In the original, they sing a different song with indistinct lyrics.
At the campfire, Ash expresses worry he won't ever see his Pokémon again in the dub but more specifically worries that they are starving in the original Japanese version.
Ritchie's Charmander is called Zippo, which may be a reference to the American refillable cigarette lighter brand of the same name.
Ritchie mentions being able to identify his Poké Balls from the rest of the stolen ones because he placed Star Stickers on them. This can be considered an early precursor of the Seal concept before its introduction in Generation IV.