The Inventor Of ‘Operation’ Is A Lovely Old Man; Needs Your Money To Have An Operation
John Spinello made only $500 for a game that's been played by hundreds of thousands of people. He can't afford an urgent procedure, so his friends started a crowdfunding campaign.
Here’s a fact that will blow your mind: Operation, the battery-powered board game in which you use a tiny pair of tweezers to retrieve tiny organs from tiny holes in a tiny human body without touching the sides, was invented in 1965 — almost 50 years ago.
Here’s another fact that will blow your mind: the inventor of the concept behind the game, John Spinello, sold his prototype to a toy invention firm in 1964 for a measly $500, and the promise of a job that never eventuated. Like many other young people with great ideas but no business sense, he was totally screwed over by a massive corporation.
Half a century since the game was invented, it’s now joined the pantheon of iconic games, with a legendary status reserved for classic past-times like Guess Who?, Monopoly, and running down the street with a stick, a tire and a basket full of dreams. Spinello watched without bitterness as the game took on a life of its own, spawning socks, shower curtains, shirts, clocks boxer shorts, greeting cards and neckties, as well as scores of brand tie-ins, including Iron Man, Sherk, The Simpsons and Family Guy editions.
Unfortunately, things aren’t looking as good for Spinello these days; he is in need of his own medical procedure without enough money or insurance to cover it.
“John has had a good life, but has admitted to us that he is struggling to pay his bills,” reads the crowdfunding page that was set up by two friends to help him out. “We launched this Crowdrise fundraiser to call on anyone who has ever played and loved Operation to send John a note and maybe, a monetary gift of appreciation.”
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Launched on October 18, the campaign reached $15,000 of its $25,000 goal overnight, resulting in a thank you video from Spinello himself.
“The notes and the messages we’ve received from you folks are just overwhelming,” he says. “I’m autographing games as fast as they come in, and I couldn’t be happier. I hope I get writer’s cramp.”
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So far, $19,673 has been raised. To donate to the Crowdrise campaign, head here; to write a note of support or purchase an autographed copy of the game, head here.
