Factual error: For a movie supposedly set in late December in a Northern state, all of the deciduous trees still have leaves on them. The most obvious place to see this is in the opening scene, when Billy is trying to start his car in front of his house. (00:07:05)
Factual error: Gizmo could not drive the Barbie car because it's controlled by remote control.
Answer: The original film was released before the PG-13 rating existed (it was one of the films responsible for its creation). Producers decided to remove some of the language and violence for the DVD release to avoid complaints about the PG rating.