Did Jack in the Box kill mascot Jack in Super Bowl ad?

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News alert: Jack Box, the fictitious chief executive of Jack in the Box, is in critical condition after getting slammed by a bus today. His last words before the tragedy were “breakfast all day and burger.”

But is the iconic clown-head really dead?

That’s what the genius Jack in the Box marketing gurus will have us thinking after today’s Super Bowl. In a brilliant move, the San Diego-based burger chain kicked off the first of a series of commercials that question the fate of the beloved and hilarious Jack Box.

In the brief soap opera-inspired Super Bowl ad, Jack’s life hangs in the balance after he’s hit by a bus while crossing a street. At the time of the accident, Jack is discussing the chain’s “expansive” menu with another executive, Phil.

“I want to make sure the public knows they can get anything in our menu, anytime,” Jack says as walks across a busy street.

“For instance, breakfast all day, or maybe a burger…”

But, before he could finish his sentence, Jack is brutally hit by an orange and white bus. (I actually cringed when I saw it.)

“Hang in there Jack. It’s not that bad,” executive Phil lies to a critically injured Jack, whose head is visibly cracked in several spots like an egg.

The commercial ends with sirens blaring and a weepy woman holding what’s left of Jack’s tattered yellow cone-shaped hat. (shown, right)

As the cliffhanger ad fades to black, it displays this website: www.HangInThereJack.com. (CLICK HERE to view Jack in the Box’s news conference on Jack Box’s condition.)

My take: “OMG,” I shouted after previewing the commercial on Friday.

I’m heartbroken at the thought of Jack dying, yet again.

Remember, Jack’s speaker-box clown head was blown up in a 1980 commercial. But, in dramatic fashion, Jack came back to life in 1995. He’s now grown to be one of the most recognizable, if not funniest, fast-food mascots in the industry.

So, why kill off Jack?

Publicity, of course. Jack in the Box plans to drag out Jack’s bus bashing saga for weeks.

“The campaign will roll out over the next several weeks and will include….(more) television ads to keep Jack’s fans updated on his condition,” the company said. Besides the Hang In There Jack site, fans can get medical updates on his condition through Jack’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.