John Spinello earned a small spot in pop culture history 50 years ago when he invented Operation, the battery-powered game that lets kids play surgeon.
But now, the 77-year-old Illinois man needs $25,000 in oral surgery and can’t afford to pay for it, having sold the rights to his creation for just $500.
Spinello says he’s not bitter and prefers to not focus on the healthcare crisis.
“Look, everyone needs medical care,” Spinello told HuffPost Weird News. “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.”
To help him out, a couple of toy designer friends are trying to help him raise $25,000 for anticipated bills via a crowdfunding campaign at Crowdrise.com.
The campaign had raised more than $1,300 by Monday morning, mostly from toy industry insiders. A sister website, ILoveOperation.com, is selling copies of Operation personally signed by Spinello.
In addition, Spinello is planning a December auction of his original game prototype, hoping to raise at least another $35,000, according to toy designer Tim Walsh, who is organizing the fundraiser along with fellow designer Peggy Brown.
Spinello invented Operation while he was an industrial design student at the University of Illinois. The Bloomington resident was tasked to come up with an electric game where the object was to insert a metal wand into holes without touching the metal edges of the openings.
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Story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/27/john-spinello_n_6055174.html