Correspondence with Hasbro UK in September, 1995 regarding production in the UK, referred to as beginning in 1985. All personal information has been erased from this letter, including that belonging to Hasbro.
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Although My Little Ponies had been on sale in the UK since 1983, it is 1985 that Hasbro UK themselves mark as their 'inception'. What that really means is not entirely clear, except that the official list from the Hasbro records dates from that time. We can maybe surmise that maybe this was when Hasbro UK started taking an active and direct (perhaps even international) role in My Little Pony production.
Two types of release occurred in 1985. The first were ponies that continued from 1984, such as Bubbles or Seashell. These were not included on Hasbro's list, but were featured on the 1985 insert as models for that year's ponywear releases. They were also used in the box-art for the 1985 reissue of Butterscotch's Gymkhana, and anecdotal evidence suggests they continued to appear on shelves alongside the new 1985 releases. Ponies like the Rainbow Ponies were originally released at the end of 1984, on 1984 style backcards, but were included both on Hasbro's list and on insert material as a set from 1985.
The second type of release this year were new characters, introducing gimmicks such as curly hair for the first time. The packaging between 1984 and 1985 showed mixed styles, but characters issued brand new in 1985 had short concise 'storylets' on the back of their packages. (This was not true of ponies like the Rainbow Ponies, however, whose cards were dated 1984).
Stories had long since been a thing on My Little Pony packages in North America since 1983, but this was the first year to feature them in the United Kingdom. These stories were much shorter than those featured on cards in North America.
The most notable characters of 1985 in the United Kingdom were the Groom & Style Ponies- six earth ponies who would be prominent in stories and would even have songs written about them. They are all extremely common on the second hand market, demonstrating how popular they must have been at the time. 1985 also introduced more playsets to the United Kingdom, though all of them had been previously released in North America. There was the first UK exclusive accessory, however - in the Baby Pony Stroller.
My Little Pony in the United Kingdom had begun.