The inventor of beloved board game Operation has found himself in the hands of adoring fans as they try to raise thousands for surgery which he desperately needs and cannot afford.

John Spinello, 77, invented the board game in 1964 and sold the rights to toy designer Marvin Glass for just $500 and the promise of a job when he graduated from the University of Illinois.

The job never materialized but the young man did finally receive a check for $500. The rights to the game were sold on to Milton Bradley board game company which produced the first version of Operation in 1965. Now owned by Hasbro, Operation has made $40million for its owners.

With none of that money ever making its way to Mr Spinello, he now finds himself in need of $25,000 for oral surgery after the collapse of his own small business several years ago left him without sufficient health insurance.

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John Spinello, 77, invented the board game Operation which has delighted children for generations. Mr Spinello only made $500 selling the rights to the game - but now needs $25,000 for oral surgery

Mr Spinello, of Illinois, pictured with his wife Madeline in their Operation board game t-shirts - part of a wealth of memorabilia which has grown up around the phenomenon

Fans of Operation have now stepped in to help Mr Spinello by setting up a fundraising page for his surgery on Crowdrise.com and on another site, Iloveoperation.com, where Mr Spinello is signing copies of the board game.

Mr Spinello, who used to run a warehouse business which went bust during the economic collapse in 2008, said he has no bitterness about not making more money out of his clever idea.

Mr Spinello, who lives in Bloomington with his wife Madeline, said: 'Look, everyone needs medical care.

BZZZT! A HISTORY OF OPERATION John Spinello, pictured in the 1970s, after he gave up the rights to his million-dollar idea, Operation The board game Operation tests players' handiwork with a tiny set of tweezers as they tried to pinch out 'Cavity Sam's' organs without setting off the dreaded buzzer. The body parts have comic names such as 'Bread Basket', 'Writer's Cramp' and 'Funny Bone'. In 2004, 'Brain Freeze' was added after the company ran a competition. While the inventor, John Spinello, took home $500 in 1964 for his clever idea, toy firms Milton Bradley and then Hasbro, have made around $40million from the franchise. The game has taken on multiple guises: in 2002, there was a brain surgery-version which focused on pulling pieces from Cavity Sam's head. In 2004, a Shrek game was released and in 2005, a Simpsons version with Homer on the operating table instead of Sam. HIs trademark 'D'oh!' replaced the familiar 'bzzzt!' The franchise also rolled out Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, SpongeBob SquarePants, Toy Story and Despicable Me 2 versions. The most recent Operation was a Planes: Fire & Rescue version this year. Advertisement

'I prefer not to dwell on that aspect and focus more on the joy that the game has brought to so many over the years.'

Mr Spinello also plans to auction the prototype of his game which he came up with for a class when he was an industrial design student at the University of Illinois.

The inventor hopes to raise close to $35,000 on eBay from the original metal box with carvings, holes and a wand.

The aim of Operation was to test hand-to-eye coordination with players acting as'doctor' and inserting metal tweezers into holes on the body of 'Cavity Sam' on the board.

Players tried to remove Sam's organs without touching the edges and setting off the buzzer.

The winner at the end of the game was the player who had racked up the most money by carefully grabbing items such as Adam's Apple, Wrenched Ankle, Butterflies in Stomach and Spare Ribs.

The campaign to pay for Mr Spinello's surgery was started by fans and fellow inventors, Tim Walsh and Peggy Brown.

By Wednesday afternoon, funds had reached more than $18,000.

Those donating left messages for Mr Spinello, including: 'Thanks for the fun, Mr Spinello', 'A grateful kid from the 60s' and 'bzzzt!'

Others have written detailed letters to the inventor, telling him the effect that Operation had on their childhood and some offering condolences that he had not made money out of the classic game.

One father wrote: 'Thanks for a great lifetime of Operation. My sister and I played together 40 some years ago and my girls play it together now. In fact, there is a game somewhere in our playroom right now.

'I have to admit, the buzzer was a lot less annoying 40 years ago! Thanks for the memories.'

One Australian fan said: 'I hope you raise enough to not only help you to afford your surgery but hopefully a lot more to help you live a more fullfilling lifestyle as you deserve.'

Another added: 'Dear John, I am 58 yrs. old and remember, vividly, playing Operation with my brother and friends!

'Perhaps that’s what lead me to become a Certified Oral Surgery Assistant and later a Registered Nurse!? Thanks for the fun!''

Hasbro told MailOnline on Wednesday that the company planned to buy Mr Spinello's prototype in the hope of helping with his medical costs.

Julie Duffy, Vice President of Global Communications, said in a statement: 'We were moved to see the recent outpouring of support from so many fans of the Operation game around the world regarding the medical needs of the game’s original inventor, John Spinello.

'The Operation game has been a family favorite for 50 years and while we didn’t buy the game from Mr Spinello directly, his invention is an important part of Hasbro’s history.

Mr Spinello recently announced his plans to put up for auction the original Operation game prototype that he designed in the early 1960’s.

'Today we informed Mr. Spinello that Hasbro plans to purchase the prototype with the hope that the funds will help to defray his medical costs. We plan to proudly display it at Hasbro’s global headquarters in Pawtucket, RI to honor his contribution to Hasbro’s gaming history.'

Operation (pictured is the most current version of the game) has been played by generations of children with players trying to grab parts of 'Cavity Sam' without setting off a buzzer

Inventor John Spinello, pictured in the film Toyland, was behind the prototype metal box which became the game Operation

Operation when it was released in 1965 (pictured) - it has been played by generations of fans around the world after becoming a hit-seller for toy company Milton Bradley



