The character of Suppaman was originally supposed to appear in his own manga, but Akira Toriyama's then-editor Kazhiko Torishima vetoed the idea. Toriyama liked the character and got him a place in "Dr Slump." Ironically, Toriyama would create a more popular Superman homage in his most famous hero, Son Goku.
Akira Toriyama gave puns to the families in the story:
- the Norimaki family is named after snacks ("norimaki" is a sushi-wrapped roll)
- "Senbei" is a rice cracker; the Midori family is named after colours ("midori" is yellow-green; "Akane" means dark red, "Aoi" means blue, "Kon" means navy blue, and "Murasaki" means purple)
- and the Soramame family is named after a broad bean (the first names vary though).
The Tsun family have sound effects as their first names (except for Tsuruten Tsun, the patriarch):
- the eldest son, Tsukutsun Tsun is named after the sound of poking something
- the youngest daughter, Tsururin Tsun, is named after the sound of something shiny
- and the matriarch, Tsuntsunodanoteiyugo Tsun, is named after an old marketing jingle from the bicycle maker Tsunodai.
Dr Mashirito, Senbei's rival, was named after Akira Toriyama's then-editor Kazhiko Torishima ("To-ri-shi-ma" backwards reads "Mashirito"), and bears Torishima's appearance as well.