Sean McGann says that his reviewing style is inspired mainly by Brad Jones, with additional inspiration from reviewers Jon Jafari, Lewis Lovhaug, Eric Rodriguez, Lindsay Ellis, Kyle Kallgren, "early" Doug Walker, Todd Nathanson, Paul Schuler, and James Rolfe.
Sean McGann was inspired to do a review show about My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010) partially due to his own viewing habits when watching the series. Whenever he watched any episode of the series on YouTube, he sometimes paused the video to remark on whatever he had just witnessed, then go back to watching. Many of his remarks ended up sticking in his memory, coming in handy whenever he needs to review an episode.
The title is a reference to Sugarcube Corner, the bakery where Pinkie Pie works and resides above. Ironically, The Sugarcube Critic is often critical of Pinkie Pie and her actions and traits in the first season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010).