STAY Notebook
The STAY Notebook is a green journal Luther gave to Pawbert on his birthday in "Found Family". Embossed with "STAY" on the cover and inscribed "ALWAYS - Luther" on the first page, the notebook became Pawbert's primary journaling tool throughout his incarceration.
Description
A green notebook with "STAY" embossed on the cover. On the first page, Luther inscribed "ALWAYS - Luther" — a promise in physical form. The word "STAY" serves as a counter-script to Milton's curse — where Milton mouthed "you're dead" at Pawbert's arrest, the notebook reminds Pawbert to stay alive, present, and hopeful.
History
S02E21 - "Found Family"
On Pawbert's birthday, the pack takes him to the Sahara Square markets and, that evening, to Pawddington the Musical at a theater in the Rainforest District. Back at the safehouse, Luther hands him a small package in green paper: a green cloth notebook, well made, STAY embossed in gold on the front and ALWAYS - Luther written on the first page in precise script. The rest is blank. Luther tells him it is for the days that matter and the choices he makes.
Seasons 2-3
The notebook accompanies Pawbert through his incarceration at Zootopia Correctional Facility, where the entries are numbered by day. Day 1 is the morning after the clemency hearing, when he walks back into his cell knowing he has 365 days to count.
Day 127 is the day the Lionheart crisis breaks — the day he escapes ZCF and comes back anyway. He writes that entry the same night in "A Wanted Mammal", after the crisis has resolved: the wall being rebuilt, Luther's cover blown but Luther still there, Cattrick and Kitty gone, Milton back in maximum security, and the count that matters most: eight months left, finite, and he will make it. He closes the notebook and puts it back on the cell shelf, beside the laminated photograph of his mother.
Season 4
In "Release", on his final day at ZCF (Day 365), Pawbert writes his last entry as an incarcerated mammal and carries the notebook out of the facility with the laminated photo. In "Unboxed" he holds it without opening it — that chapter is closed — and sets it on the bedroom shelf beside the album of Lillian's photographs.
For most of Season 4, Pawbert does not write new entries — the notebook has become a historical document. However, in "Radio Silence", when Luther is away on a classified four-day ZSI mission, Pawbert breaks his silence. He writes a letter to Luther in the notebook — a way of processing his anxiety about Luther's absence. This represents the first entry since Day 365.
Significance
The STAY Notebook represents:
- Luther's Promise: "ALWAYS" inscribed by Luther makes the notebook a physical commitment
- Counter-Script: Milton's "you're dead" is answered by Pawbert's daily choice to stay
- Evidence of Growth: The progression from early entries to Day 365's resolution
- Coping Mechanism: A way to externalize and process difficult emotions
- Historical Record: By series end, a document of Pawbert's transformation
The word "STAY" becomes one of the series' most significant recurring themes, eventually engraved on Luther and Pawbert's wedding rings.
Notable Entries
| Entry | Episode | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Inscription | S02E21 | Luther's gift; "ALWAYS - Luther" written on the first page |
| Day 127 | S03E08 | Written the night the Lionheart crisis resolves; eight months left, finite |
| Day 365 | S04E01 | Final day at ZCF; release morning |
| Letter to Luther | S04E15 | First entry since release; processing Luther's absence |
Pawbert reads the letter aloud to Luther in "Incoming", sitting beside him in bed the night he comes home from the hospital. It is the last time the notebook is opened on the page.
Current Status
The notebook sits on the bedroom shelf at Pawthorne Mansion, beside the album of Lillian's photographs. It is no longer actively used for journaling but remains a treasured reminder of the journey from incarceration to freedom and marriage.
Related Items
- The Green Sweater — Another object representing Pawbert's survival
- Wedding Rings — Engraved with "Stay," connecting to the notebook's theme