The title is tongue-in-cheek, as Fisch-Ton-Kan is a phonetic rendition of French fiche ton camp, which may be translated as "clear off!".

Many of the situations recur in Chabrier's opéra bouffe of 1877, L'étoile: Goulgouly becomes Laoula, Fisch-Ton-Kan turns into Lazuli and Kakao is a precursor of Ouf Ier.

Le Sire de Fisch-Ton-Kan was a satirical 'chanson' (music by Antonin Louis, words by Paul Burani) which became very popular in Paris after the fall of Napoleon III and mocked the ex-emperor, his family and court.

When Kakao arrives on his palanquin he asks that boiling water be poured into a giant tea-pot in which Fisch-Ton-Kan is hiding, but Goulgouly manages to stop him.

Two numbers from Fisch-Ton-Kan were recorded in 2015 by counter-tenor Philippe Jaroussky as part of an extended recital of "Mélodies françaises sur des poèmes de Verlaine".