Operation

Battery-powered surgery game — extract ailments from Sam without touching the metal edges and setting off the buzzer.

🌤indoor

What is Operation?

Operation is a battery-powered dexterity game published in 1965. Players take turns 'operating' on the patient (Cavity Sam) using tweezers to remove 12 comic ailments — the Butterflies in the Stomach, the Charlie Horse, the Adam's Apple — without touching the metal edges of the cavities. Touching the edges sets off a loud buzzer and lights up Sam's nose in bright red.

Quick facts

Category

Party Games

Type

Individual

Players

1–6

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇺🇸 United States

Estimated origin

1965, John Spinello (patented 1964, Milton Bradley)

Olympic

No

Popularity

global

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified