Jack-in-the-Box PSA

The jack-in-the-box PSA is a child abuse PSA aired in Indiana in the early 1980s. The PSA features a porcelain baby doll head coming out of a jack-in-the-box toy and being whacked with a hammer.

Plot

Airings

One witness reported seeing the PSA in Bicknell, Indiana, part of the Terre Haute television market, between 1983 and 1985. They recalled the PSA airing during cartoons, including He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which, in Terre Haute, aired on weekday afternoons on WBAK-TV (now WAWV-TV), the ABC station in the market, at 3:30 PM weekdays in between Mighty Mouse and The Flintstones as part of a cartoon block.

The Search

How Can I Help?

* Watching early 1980s commercial breaks on YouTube
* Looking for early 1980s VHS tapes that may contain the ad
* Researching organizations that could have produced the ad