When creating Josef Kobold, the episode's antagonist, Spotnitz researched various crimes and criminals, until he learned about Caryl Chessman, a man who had been sentenced to death on a technical charge of kidnapping.
King Goldemar (also spelled Goldmar, Vollmar, and Volmar) is a dwarf or kobold from Germanic mythology and folklore.
In 2011, a more expensive enhanced version was developed under contract for German appliance maker Vorwerk Kobold, distributed only in Germany as the Vorwerk VR-100, with some slow expansion later into other European locations.