B Movies Blog

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping Svengoolie into the ol’ VCR.

In honor of Svengoolie’s 45th anniversary, I thought it would be fun to dive more into the history of Svengoolie, both the horror host and the show. 

I know we did a piece about horror hosts, but I wanted to get more into Svengoolie’s history specifically. 

And, don’t worry, I plan to do this with more horror hosts as well. 

Alrighty, that should do us for introductions. 

Without further ado, let’s dive into the history of Svengoolie. 

For those unfamiliar, Svengoolie is a Chicago-based horror host program where the title character of Svengoolie (in addition to the Sven Squad) introduces movies and performs skits and songs related to the films being shown. It’s also become nationally accessible through MeTV. 

The original Svengoolie show ran from 1970-1973, with Svengoolie being portrayed by Jerry G. Bishop. 

When the show returned in 1979, Rich Koz took over as the Son of Svengoolie, and continued portraying this specific character until the second run of the show ended in 1986. 

The show was then revived in 1994, and Jerry G. Bishop told Rich Koz to drop the “Son of,” making Koz the Svengoolie we know today. 

Over the years, Svengoolie has won the Rondo award for best horror host and appeared in DC Comics. Additionally, for the show’s 25th anniversary, Svengoolie was given the Silver Circle Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Chicago/Midwest Chapter. 

Additionally, Svengoolie even launched a spin-off called Sventoonie where Kevin Fleming (the host of Toon In With Me) voiced Toony the Tuna, a puppet that was dressed as Svengoolie and hosted horror films, with Svengoolie sometimes appearing on the show. Unfortunately, the show only ran from 2022-2023, but it’s still a testament to Svengoolie’s reach. 

In 2022, Svengoolie hosted a talent search dubbed the “Spawn of Svengoolie,” which led to the additions of Gwengoolie and Ignatius Malvolio Prankenstein (IMP) as well as the more regular inclusion of Nostalgiaferatoo. 

I’ve been watching Svengoolie for years, and it’s one of the few good memories I have with my dad because we watched it when I was visiting from college. 

Plus, I’ve always loved horror hosts because they do what I do in a way. 

I sit here and talk to you about pop culture, while also making jokes and inserting personal anecdotes into their intros and bits. 

I think I owe a lot to the horror hosts I watched growing up, and, honestly, continue to watch. 

That includes Svengoolie. 🖤