After nearly two decades of burrowing into the brains of anyone within earshot, the Kars4Kids jingle has been yanked from California airwaves. A state judge ruled last week that the charity's ads were essentially false advertising, which is a bit like saying a used car salesman might not be entirely forthcoming.

The infamously catchy tune - “1-877-Kars4Kids/K-A-R-S Kars for Kids/1-877-Kars4Kids/Donate your car today” - has been playing on repeat in the public consciousness since roughly 2005. During that time, Kars4Kids has faced litigation and state government investigations for its misleading fundraising practices, which is a lot of legal trouble for a song that sounds like it was recorded on a kazoo in a tin can.

Bruce Puterbaugh, the man who brought the suit in 2021, parted ways with a nonfunctional 2001 Volvo XC valued at $250. He donated to the charity, believing it worked in service of “underprivileged kids from all over the US,” according to court documents from the Orange County Superior Court. Puterbaugh would later learn that Kars4Kids is used to fund Oorah, a Jewish non-profit that runs summer camps in the tri-state area and organizes gap year trips to Israel for 17- and 18-year-olds. Oorah also used $16.5 million funneled from Kars4Kids to buy a building in Israel as it expands its presence there.

“I feel taken advantage of by the ad and information that was not there,” Puterbaugh said in court testimony, which is the polite way of saying “I thought I was helping a local kid get a winter coat, not funding a real estate deal in Tel Aviv.”

Esti Landau, the organization’s chief operating officer, testified that the well-known ad does not mention the Jewish community. Kars4Kids funnels about $45 million annually to Oorah. Of the 120,000 cars donated nationwide, approximately 30,000 originated in California, per court documents. It’s unclear over what time period those cars were donated, but one imagines that’s a lot of Volvos.

Kars4Kids was ordered to pay $250 in restitution to the plaintiff and given a deadline of 30 days to “cease all non-compliant broadcasting in California.” The court wrote in its ruling: “Money cannot ‘un-donate’ a car or restore the donor’s belief that they were helping a local, needy child. When a charity generates millions annually through a ‘jingle’ that conceals its primary religious and geographic focus, it creates an unfair playing field for local California charities that are honest about their missions.”

Any future ads in the state must disclose its religious affiliation and geographic location. They also cannot include images of prepubescent children, given that several of Oorah’s programs support young adults. So if you hear that jingle again in California, at least now you’ll know you’re donating to a summer camp in New Jersey, not a local kid in need. Progress.