I'm another one who was surprised when I found out that other countries had special G1 ponies that were not released in the US (Cascade, Kiss Curl, Baby Applejack, ect...)
Was surprised again when I learned that some G1 ponies (Bowtie, Confetti, Applejack) were released in other countries in different poses than the US releases.
And possibly my biggest misconception is that I'm done adding to my collection