There is an obvious reference to one of John Cleese's and Michael Palin's most famous sketches, the Dead Parrot Sketch, from Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969). In the sea lion scene, two men can be heard saying: "Remarkable creatures, sea lions." "Yes, beautiful plumage." Which sounds amazingly like Palin's line in the sketch: "Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, isn't it, eh? Beautiful plumage!"