 During the pre-production for the episode, the cast and crew realized that the Halloween conceit would allow the various cast members to wear costumes, rather than their "usual, realistically plain suits". B.J. Novak called the dress-up experience "fun", noting that "seeing the most serious of our plotlines play out alongside such silly and bizarre visuals was, I think, one of the most inspired ideas of the episode's writer, Greg Daniels." The idea for Pam to be dressed as a cat was inspired by several unused stories, created by Gene Stupnitsky, in which "Pam Beesley must disguise herself as a cat". The plot lines were vetoed by the shows writers, but Stupnitsky successfully petitioned to allow Pam to wear a cat costume.
