1970Marvin Glass, Geoffrey Hayes
- Videos
- 33
- Creators
- 29
2 - 4 players45 minLight weight

1965Marvin Glass, John Spinello
Some reviews and how-to-play. Operation is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 9 reviews, 6 how-to-play guides, 2 recorded sessions, and 23 other videos.
From BoardGameGeek
Operation is a dexterity game in which you must extract silly body parts from a hapless patient. In the course of the game you acquire cards which dictate that you must remove a certain piece from the body of the patient. To do this you use a set of tweezers that are attached by wire to the game board. If you are sloppy and touch the metal sides of the hole where the item is located, the patient's pain is indicated by a sudden buzzer and light-up nose. Successful extractions net cash, and the player with the most cash at the end of the game is the winner. Various editions change the patient and the items to be removed, but the game stays the same in its essence: Shrek -- just like the classic version, but with Shrek. Simpsons -- Remove Homer's Bowler's Thumb, Pot Belly, Foot in Mouth, Rubber Neck, Trick Knee, etc. T-Rex -- excavating bones of a T. Rex Spiderman 3 -- healing all of Spiderman's ailments Pit Stop -- manipulating various car parts instead of people-parts Star Wars -- just like classic version, but with R2D2 and C3PO
Learn to play
Watch it played
Operation has 40 videos from 27 creators: 9 reviews, 6 how-to-play guides, 2 playthroughs and 23 other videos. They date from 2007 to December 2025.
To learn the rules, start with "How To Play The Game Operation Spongebob Edition Skill Game, 2007 Hasbro Toys" by Lucky Penny Shop, which runs 8 min.
For an opinion before you buy, start with "Shocking Epic Fail Autopsy Game Toy Review by Mike Mozart on TheToyChannel" by TheToyChannel. 7 creators have reviewed it. To see it played, watch "Post-op Tiffany Plays Operation" by TheOneTAR, one of 2 playthroughs.
If you like it, try Ghost Castle, Mouse Trap, Hands Down and Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, also by Marvin Glass.
Calvin Jacks (Original)
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Calvin Jacks (Original)
Calvin Jacks (Original)
Calvin Jacks (Original)
8 of 27
1970Marvin Glass, Geoffrey Hayes
2 - 4 players45 minLight weight
1963Gordon A. Barlow, Marvin Glass, Harvey "Hank" Kramer, Burt Meyer
2 - 4 players30 minLight weight
1964Marvin Glass, Harvey "Hank" Kramer
3 - 4 players10 minLight weight
1967Marvin Glass, Burt Meyer
2 players10 minLight weight
From BoardGameGeek:
Operation is a dexterity game in which you must extract silly body parts from a hapless patient. In the course of the game you acquire cards which dictate that you must remove a certain piece from the body of the patient. To do this you use a set of tweezers that are attached by wire to the game board. If you are sloppy and touch the metal sides of the hole where the item is located, the patient's pain is indicated by a sudden buzzer and light-up nose. Successful extractions net cash, and the player with the most cash at the end of the game is the winner. Various editions change the patient and the items to be removed, but the game stays the same in its essence: Shrek -- just like the classic version, but with Shrek. Simpsons -- Remove Homer's Bowler's Thumb, Pot Belly, Foot in Mouth, Rubber Neck, Trick Knee, etc. T-Rex -- excavating bones of a T. Rex Spiderman 3 -- healing all of Spiderman's ailments Pit Stop -- manipulating various car parts instead of people-parts Star Wars -- just like classic version, but with R2D2 and C3PO
Designers
Marvin Glass, John Spinello
Artist
Theodor Seuss Geisel
Publisher
Milton Bradley
Categories
Mechanics