The "bendable" toys, formerly offered in Jack in the Box® restaurants, were designed in the likeness of Jack, the chain's fictional founder, and reflect his zest for adventure, such as surfing, mountain climbing, scuba diving and luging. Under five inches tall, the toys slipped easily into the provisions of their host adventurers, although a few required some strategic placement. For example, during a qualifying heat for the Pep Boys 50th Anniversary Nationals last year, Force was concerned about securing the toy in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, so he zipped it into his firesuit. Machado, on the other hand, opted for a rubber adhesive to affix a toy to the tip of his board before the two surfed the famed Banzai Pipeline off Oahu.

"Unlike other auction items that are merely autographed by celebrities, these toys have actually participated in at least one bona fide, sometimes life- or limb-risking event," said Kathy Kovacevich, community relations manager for The Jack in the Box Foundation. "Nearly all of the athletes and adventurers we contacted were enthusiastic to help out. And none accepted any compensation for their efforts � just our gratitude and the gratitude of Big Brothers Big Sisters."

Including the venues mentioned above, toys participated in the following adventures, listed in chronological order:

• Dogsled Jack mushed in the 2001 Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race with Dr. Sonny King (March 3-15, 2001; finished 9th)
• Surfer Jack surfed the Banzai Pipeline with Rob Machado (March 19, 2001)
• Hockey Jack tended goal for the San Diego Gulls of the West Coast Hockey League (April 1, 2001; the Gulls defeated Bakersfield Condors 3-1)
• Auto Racing Jack raced in three SCCA ProRally events with Carl Jardevall -- Oregon Trail SCCA ProRally l (April 7-8, 2001; DNF), Rim of the World SCCA ProRally (May 4-5, 2001; DNF), and Maine Forest SCCA ProRally (July 26-27, 2001; 13th overall)
• Auto Racing Jack raced in the Pep Boys NHRA 50th Anniversary Nationals with John Force (July 5, 2001; finished 1st, Funny Car Division)
• Luge Jack street luged in the 2001 X Games with Biker Sherlock (Aug. 11, 2001; 7th)
• Luge Jack street luged in the 2001 Gravity Games with Biker Sherlock (Sept. 2, 2001; 2nd in 4-Man event, 5th in the 6-Man event)
• Scuba Jack and Dogsled Jack explored during an Alaskan expedition for the JASON XIII Project with Dr. Robert Ballard (January 2002)
• Mountaineer Jack summited Mount Everest with Charlie Fowler (May 16, 2002)
• Skydiving Jack skydived with the Flying Elvi (Aug. 8, 2002)
• Mountaineer Jack climbed on K2 with Charlie Fowler and Christine Boskoff (June - Aug. 2002)

A 12th adventure involved the space shuttle Discovery, in which an Astronaut Jack toy traveled to the International Space Station in March 2001. But per NASA's wishes, that toy will not be included in the auction. Instead, on Dec. 14, with his adventure-seeking peers on the eBay auction block, Astronaut Jack will be inducted into an interactive children's exhibit at the San Diego Aerospace Museum in San Diego.

"Jack toys are extremely popular among collectors," Kovacevich said. "Just type 'Jack in the Box' in the keyword search on eBay, and about half of the delivered auction items are Jack in the Box premiums, including these small, action-seeking toys. But we've never before held this kind of auction with celebrity participation, so it's hard to anticipate the kind of bidding frenzy the auction will attract."

Once the auction starts on Nov. 8, interested bidders can view photos and package descriptions of the Jack toys by visiting the "Charity" area on eBay (pages.ebay.com/charity) or by linking to the site from the Jack in the Box Web site.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters has been the nation's preeminent youth-service organization for nearly a century. The non-profit organization is based on volunteers and supported entirely by gifts and grants, both nationally and locally. Today, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves hundreds of thousands of children in 5,000 communities across the country. For additional information, please call 888/412-BIGS.

About The Jack in the Box Foundation

The Jack in the Box Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization funded by donations from Jack in the Box Inc. and its employees. A national sponsor of Big Brothers Big Sisters since 1998, The Jack in the Box Foundation has provided approximately $1.5 million in financial support and services to the organization through corporate, employee and franchisee contributions, fund-raising activities and volunteer efforts. Among the many initiatives supported by The Jack in the Box Foundation is a school-based mentoring program coordinated by Big Brothers Big Sisters in 15 U.S. cities. This program matches high school student "Bigs" with elementary school student "Littles". In addition to raising awareness for Big Brothers Big Sisters and encouraging volunteerism by displaying decals in restaurants and sponsoring billboards, Jack in the Box offers newly-matched Bigs and Littles a free meal at a Jack in the Box restaurant through The Foundation's "First Meal" program.

Founded in 1951, Jack in the Box is the nation's first major drive-thru hamburger chain. The San Diego-based company operates or franchises more than 1,860 quick-service restaurants in 17 states and has more than 43,000 employees.