Jingle justice: How a California man’s lawsuit over a donated Volvo helped spike the most annoying TV ad ever
Kars4Kids doesn't help kids, it uses false advertising to fund matchmaking for young Jewish adults and gap year trips to Israel
May 20, 2026
Bruce Puterbaugh of California might be deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize or some sort of medal of honour for helping spike the stupidest TV jingle ever.
A decision this month by the Superior Court of California in favour of Puterbaugh’s claim in his lawsuit means the most irritating television commercial jingle in history may be off the air for good, at least in that state but also on CBC here.
If you’ve watched CBC TV or other cable channels or have a SiriusXM subscription, you know the one. Just reading the lyrics of this short jingle repeated four times in the ad is sure to be an ear worm horror for you and whatever you do, do not click play on the embedded YouTube video below if you don’t want to also hear it:
“1-877-Kars4Kids
“K-A-R-S Kars for Kids
“1-877-Kars4Kids
“Donate your car today.”
Here’s the thing, you can donate your car to the registered charity but it ain’t for kids, something that amounted to an “actionable strategy of deception,” the court found.
After enduring the ad for years, Puterbaugh believed its simple message and figured his donation of a non-operable 2001 Volvo worth about $250 would raise funds for underprivileged children in California.
WARNING: Listening to the jingle in this ad may cause listeners to attempt to claw out their ears. Listen with extreme caution.
Not even close. The Jewish charity behind Kars4Kids does decidedly non-charitable things such as matchmaking for young Jewish adults and funding gap year trips to Israel for 17- and 18-year-olds.
When Puterbaugh found out his donation was not helping poor children in California but was helping Jewish adults on religious missions in New Jersey, he wasn’t happy and he testified that he felt taken advantage of.
So he sued Kars4Kids for false advertising since nowhere in the ad does it mention it is a Jewish charity based in the northeast that does not fund programs for children. Ironically, the ad features children approximately aged eight to 10 fake playing instruments along to the mind-numbingly annoying jingle.
To win his case, Puterbaugh had to prove the statements in the ad were untrue or misleading and that the defendant knew they were untrue or misleading.
Kars4Kids chief operating officer Esti Landau testified in the trial and explained that 120,000 vehicles are donated to the charity every year. Of its approximately $75 million revenue, $45 million is sent to Oorah, the organization dedicated to Jewish heritage and summer camps, and $22.5 million is spent torturing the public with their annoying advertising.
Recently they also purchased a $16.5 million building in Israel.
The California court found that Kars4Kids issued misleading statements by omission. It also found that the vapid repetitive song essentially amounted to advertising fraud.
“The Court finds that the Defendant’s stated intent to make the advertisement ‘memorable’ through extreme repetition, while simultaneously stripping it of all substantive facts, constitutes an actionable strategy of deception.”
The ads violated California’s Unfair Competition Law because of its deception.
“The interest of the state in preventing consumer fraud far outweighs the Defendant’s interest in maintaining a ‘memorable’ but deceptive jingle.”
As part of the decision, the Defendant is permanently banned from broadcasting the ad in the State of California unless they change it to disclose its religious affiliation and geographic location. They also can’t use prepubescent children to solicit donations for adults.
Kars4Kids was also ordered to pay Puterbaugh $250 for the value of his donated dud Volvo, and costs.
In good news north of the border, CBC announced Tuesday (May 19, 2026) that the public broadcaster will also no longer carry Kars4Kids ads.
"In light of the developments regarding this charity, CBC has decided to pull their ads," Chuck Thompson, a spokesperson for the Crown corporation told CBC News.
Oorah is listed as a registered charity with the federal revenue agency in Canada, according to a CBC report. Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) filings show the organization transferred $12.6 million to the U.S. and Israel in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025, for projects such as the Texas Torah Institute and the Cincinnati Hebrew Day School.
Oorah's CRA filings show $19 million in expenditures in the 2024-25 fiscal year, including $3.7 million on advertising and promotion.
Wendy Kirwan, Kars4Kids' director of public relations, told CBC News, "we believe the [court] decision is deeply flawed, ignores the facts, and misapplies the law. Kars4Kids expects to win on appeal because the law and the facts are clearly on our side.”
-30-
Want to support independent journalism?
Consider becoming a paid subscriber or make a one-time donation so I can continue this work.
Paul J. Henderson
pauljhenderson@gmail.com
facebook.com/PaulJHendersonJournalist
instagram.com/wordsarehard_pjh
x.com/PeeJayAitch
wordsarehard-pjh.bsky.social