Operation (game)

Operation is a battery-operated game of physical skill that tests hand-eye coordination and fine motor control. Its prototype was invented in 1964 by John Spinello, an industrial-design student at the University of Illinois, who sold his rights to the toy designer Marvin Glass; Milton Bradley first produced it in 1965 and Hasbro makes it today. The board is an operating table showing a comic patient nicknamed Cavity Sam, whose red nose lights up. Openings in the body hold plastic pieces named for humorous ailments such as the Funny Bone, Wishbone and Bread Basket, and players use tweezers wired to the board to lift each piece out without touching the metal edge of its cavity. Doctor and Specialist cards set cash values, and the player who collects the most money wins. It is a variant of the electrified wire loop game once common at fairs, and many themed editions have followed.