History Main / SwallowTheKey

* ''{{Angel}}'': an ex-champion turned DeathSeeker does this to ensure a demon will kill him to get it back; he's actually hidden it in a thermos of coffee, so the demon won't get what he wants.

* In Disney's ''{{Shake it Up}}'' episode Show It Up, Flynn helps Deuce prepare for the talent show by suggesting he perform magic. During one trick, Deuce is chained to a chair and was supposed to have held the key in his mouth rather than swallow it.

* ''{{Angel}}''. An ex-champion turned DeathSeeker does this to ensure a demon will kill him to get it back; he's actually hidden it in a thermos of coffee, so the demon won't get what he wants.

[[AC:Music]]

* On the ''LooneyTunes'' short "Fin n' Catty", a cat corners a fish inside a shower, so he locks the door and swallows the key. Only then does the cat realize the shower stall is filled with water ([[CatsHateWater which cats hate]], as everyone knows) and he tries to punch the key out of his stomach.

* In the LooneyTunes short "Hyde and Tweet", Sylvester did this after finally capturing Tweety. Only after Tweety's transformation does Sylvester realize that he's trapped.

* ''StormHawks'': Stork tries to keep the Raptors from getting their hands on a Graviton Crystal by swallowing it.

* In one ''TomAndJerry'' cartoon where they were doing their take on ''RobinHood'', Tom swallowed the key that went to Robin's cell.

* Apparently ''forced'' on one of Jigsaw's captives in the original ''{{Saw}}'', so that another prisoner could be required to cut it out of his body to stop her own rapidly-approaching demise. [[spoiler: No, contrary to what she'd been told, the key-swallower was ''not'' dead when she started cutting.]]
* Done in the ''{{Coraline}}'' movie by the Other Mother.
* In ''Film/PussInBoots'', Jack swallows the key that locks the box where the magic beans are kept.

* A character in the ''Anime/{{Yu-Gi-Oh}}'' manga does this as part of his hereditary Human Vault job. It's one of the many NightmareFuel moments if you think about how he'd have been prepared for the role.

* ''ArrestedDevelopment'': GOB tries to do this in the episode "[[Recap/ArrestedDevelopmentS1E4KeyDecisions "Key Decisions"]] to aid his escape from prison, but first has trouble swallowing the key and later is unable to pass it because of a ShyBladder.
* In one episode of ''MysteryScienceTheater3000'', Pearl, Brain Guy, and Bobo are all trapped in a dungeon in ancient Rome. Bobo has the idea to regurgitate a key to undo their shackles, and Pearl compliments him for his ingenuity in lifting a key off a guard and swallowing it. Turns out Bobo didn't do that; he just thinks there's one in there because he swallows stuff all the time. It works, kind of -- he found a hairpin after a while.

See also StomachOfHolding.

* In an early episode of ''EdEddnEddy'', Double-D instructs Ed to hide the key. The guy slips the key between two slices of bread and ''eats it as a sandwich''. ''Chewing and all''.

* In an early episode of ''EdEddnEddy'', Double-D instructs Ed to do this. The guy slips the key between two slices of bread and ''eats it as a sandwich''. ''Chewing and all''.

* In an early episode of EdEddnEddy, Double-D instructs Ed to do this. The guy slips the key between two slices of bread and ''eats it as a sandwich''. ''Chewing and all''.

* In an early episode of Ed,EddAndEddy, Double-D instructs Ed to do this. The guy slips the key between two slices of bread and ''eats it as a sandwich''. ''Chewing and all''.

* In an early episode of Ed,Eddn'Eddy, Double-D instructs Ed to do this. The guy slips the key between two slices of bread and ''eats it as a sandwich''. ''Chewing and all''.

* ''ArrestedDevelopment'': GOB tries to do this to aid his escape from prison, but first has trouble swallowing the key and later is unable to pass it because of a ShyBladder.

* ''TheSuiteLifeOnDeck'': Mr. Blanket, the school's insane Guidance Counselor, handcuffs Moseby and Zack together, and swallows the key.
* The televised ''Zorro'' with Duncan Regehr twisted this -- at the end of one episode, he chained up the alcade in the town square and forced the alcade to swallow the key.

* An episode of ''{{CSI}}'' has the killer, a StageMagician who was perfectly willing to kill his family members for the sake of illusions, do this at the end (although Grissom did think to [[GenreSavvy check his mouth]]). Forshadowed by a mention of the Harry Houdini example below.

* On an episode of ''TalesFromTheCrypt'', a criminal and a cop are handcuffed together. The cop is killed, but he manages to swallow the key before the criminal can get it.

* An episode of ''{{CSI}}'' has the killer (a magician who was perfectly willing to kill his family members for the sake of illusions) do this at the end (although Grissom did think to [[GenreSavvy check his mouth]]). Forshadowed by a mention of the Harry Houdini example.

-->'''Jeff''': (''on laxatives'') If I take all of them at once, [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} do you think there's a danger of liftoff?]]

* In one ''TomAndJerry'' cartoon where they were doing their take on Robin Hood, Tom swallowed the key that went to Robin's cell.

* On the ''LooneyTunes'' short "Fin n' Catty", a cat corners a fish inside a shower, so he locks the door and swallows the key. Only then does he realize the shower stall is filled with water ([[CatsHateWater which cats hate]], as everyone knows) and he tries to punch the key out of his stomach.
* On the DonaldDuck cartoon "Trick or Treat", Don locks away all his Halloween candy and swallows the key. A witch then casts a spell on Donald's feet so that they kick out the key.
* The Professor in Futurama did this with the spaceship keys to stop anyone from wasting fuel, only to "recover" them the next day.

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