Santa's Little Helper real-life breed will paint a different picture — of dogs that are peaceful, affectionate, [and] not given to drooling, panting". Some ideas for episodes featuring Santa's Little Helper come from reality. The plot of "Dog of Death" was based on Swartzwelder's experiences with his own dog, which had also suffered from bloat. However, unlike the events in the episode, Swartzwelder's dog did not receive treatment as the operation was too expensive and the dog was too old. "The Gold Coast Bulletin"s Ryan Ellem commented in 2005 that the Simpson family's dilemma with the cost of the veterinary procedure is a
Santa Claus and the Magic Drum go and show it to the master elf. At the same time odd things are happening around Santa's village, and strange accidents follow Santa. The peculiar events are traced back to a shaman with a powerful magic drum. At the end of the movie the shaman explains that he sent the mysterious letter as a child, and the drawing is him dressed as an elf because he wanted to be Santa's little Christmas helper. By accident the letter was not delivered to Santa, and as years passed and Santa did not reply, Vekara became begrudged. After both sides of the