Almost all Ty products have a swing tag (also known as a hang tag or heart tag) attached to their ear or other appendage with
a plastic connector. There are different styles of swing tags for each Ty product family with some of the families spanning
multiple generations of tags.
When a collector refers to the "generation" of a Ty collectible, it is actually a reference to the generation of
the attached swing tag. A logical assumption is that (in most cases) the earlier the generation of the swing tag within a
family of products; the older (and probably more valuable) the collectible.
The logic for determining the specific generation of a swing tag can differ from expert to expert and reference publication
Ty plush products also have a cloth tush tag sewn into a seam, normally on their rear end. As with swing tags, there are
different generations of tush tags.