Object

Toby's Security Pass

Toby grabs a laminated security pass from a staffer and loops its lanyard around Ron the goat's neck right before the Heifer International photo-op in the Mural Room. The badge swings against the goat's fur as the team—Bartlet, Josh, C.J., and Will—clusters for the shot, the absurd touch drawing laughs that cut through post-defeat tension.

4 appearances

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments

S4E12 · Guns Not Butter

Bartlet Enters — Goat Photo as Defiant Closure; Will Bailey Introduced

A laminated security pass is borrowed from an off-camera staffer by Toby and looped around the goat's neck as a comic, humanizing detail; it turns a bureaucratic object into a visual gag that signals improvised solidarity.

Before: Worn around a staffer's neck as a routine identification token.

After: Looped around the goat's neck where it swings as part of the photo's visual composition.

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S4E12 · Guns Not Butter

Bartlet Insists on the Goat Photo — Choosing Principle Over Optics

A laminated security pass functions as a comic, symbolic device when Toby removes it from a staffer and places it around the goat's neck — converting the animal into an absurd 'member' of the staff and softening the tone of the photo-op while producing a memorable visual detail.

Before: Hung around a staffer's neck as a normal worn credential.

After: Placed around the goat's neck for the purposes of the photograph, lending a playful legitimacy to the prop.

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S4E12 · Guns Not Butter

The Goat Photo — Quiet Defiance

Toby's laminant security pass is borrowed from a staffer and looped around Ron's neck as a deliberately absurd, comic prop. The small gesture reframes the scene, producing laughter and easing the room's tension before the photograph is taken.

Before: Around a staffer's neck, standard-issue pass used for access.

After: Hung around Ron the goat's neck during the photo-op, having served as a lighthearted symbolic device.

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S4E12 · Guns Not Butter

Set the Clock for 90 Days — The Goat Photo and Quiet Resolve

A laminated security pass is taken from a staffer by Toby and looped around the goat's neck as a comic, humanizing prop. The pass functions as a visual punchline, turning bureaucratic insignia into a badge of shared purpose and levity.

Before: Hanging around a staffer's neck, standard-issue and unremarkable.

After: Around the goat's neck as part of the group photograph, repurposed as a humorous token of solidarity.

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