What's the name of the patient in the board game Operation?

The patient in the board game Operation is named Cavity Sam. Players use tweezers to remove humorous plastic “ailments” from openings in Sam’s body without touching the metal edges, which triggers the game’s buzzer and lights his red nose.

Operation was designed by American inventor John Spinello while he was a student at the University of Illinois in the 1960s. Milton Bradley acquired the concept and released the commercial game in 1965. Its combination of dexterity, suspense, and cartoon medical humor made it a long-running family favorite.

Cavity Sam is not a real medical character and is not usually described as having a detailed backstory. His name is simply a pun on cavities and the idea of a patient undergoing humorous surgery. Players commonly remember the game’s buzzer, tweezers, or ailments such as the “funny bone,” but the patient’s name is the canonical identifying detail. Later versions and spin-offs introduced related characters, including Sam’s dog Rex-Ray.