Operation was invented in 1964 by John Spinello, a student, who sold his rights for $500 to Marvin Glass, who sold it to Milton Bradley, who brought it to market in 1965. MB later sold it to Hasbro, who still makes the game.

The player uses tweezers to remove objects from "Cavity Sam", but touching the tweezers to his body causes Sam's red nose to light up. Sam had various ailments such as a Wrenched Ankle (remove a wrench from Sam's ankle), and a Charlie Horse (remove an entire, if miniature, horse).

In 2014, Spinello was 77, and couldn't afford oral surgery. He never made royalties from his game, only $500 for the rights. The internet raised money to pay for his operation, and Milton Bradly, who no longer owned the rights to the game either, also chipped in to help Spinello.

This is a 1973 TV ad for the game.

How many renowned surgeons got their start removing Sam's Spare Rib? We may never know.