Unlike many video games, the characters, items and other sprites were drawn using traditional cell and inking animation methods, then they were colored using Photoshop. The backgrounds were painted by hand using watercolors (the same way as the cartoons were made in the 1930s) and then scanned.
Was originally planned to be released in 2015 but was moved to 2017 to avoid competition with other games in 2015.
Cuphead pays tribute to 1930's cartoon art. Abstract and Surreal styles.
In the fights against Djimmi the Great and Grim Matchstick, there are constantly rotating models of Egyptian ruins and a medieval tower, respectively, in the background. It's a reference to the "Tabletop Process" from Fleischer Studios, where cells would be placed in front of a rotating scale model to create elaborate 3D backgrounds.
Cuphead and Mugman's gloves are often seen as white. However, when the player is receiving their results, the brothers' gloves are yellow.