Van Snowden

Actor · Born February 19, 1939 (87) · San Francisco County, California, USA

Puppeteer Van Charles Snowden was born on February 9, 1939 in San Francisco, California. His parents were Wyatt Estes Snowden and Ortha Dufree. Snowden was raised on a farm in Branson, Missouri. Van started his career in Hollywood by donning the suit of the famous titular dragon H.R. Pufnstuf in the 1970 theatrical film "Pufnstuf." Snowden went on to work for "Pufnstuf" creators Sid and Marty Kroft on such TV series as "The Bugaloos," "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters," and "Land of the Lost." Moreover, Van was one of the puppeteers who brought the ghoulish host the Cryptkeeper to life on the acclaimed cable TV horror anthology show "Tales from the Crypt" and in the spin-off movies "Demon Knight" and "Bordello of Blood." His other film credits include "Beetle Juice," "Bram Stroker's Dracula," and the first two "Child's Play" sequels. Snowden was nominated for a prime-time Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program for his work on "D.C. Follies;" this was the first time a puppeteer was ever nominated in this particular category. His last TV credit was as H.R. Pufnstuf on a 2007 episode of "My Name is Earl." Outside of his film and television work, Van also was the head of Hasbro's puppeteer division for the last three years of his life; he devised programming for such toys as Gizmo, E.T., Yoda, and Furby. Snowden died of cancer at age 71 on September 22, 2010 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, California; he's survived by his brother Nick and sister Deanna.

What are Van Snowden's films like?

Across a limited sample of 3 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight

Bonds

32%

Self

30%

Society

20%

Power

10%

Ideas

8%

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful

3

Absurd

2

Thrilling

1

How their films linger

Fun3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Van Snowden's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Cineverse3 titles, show their 3 titles on Cineverse
Dove Channel3 titles, show their 3 titles on Dove Channel
Midnight Pulp3 titles, show their 3 titles on Midnight Pulp

Subscription and free streaming for Van Snowden's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

10 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

My Name Is Earl(2005)
Show 1 episode · as H.R. Pufnstuf
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows
Dumbo's Circus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Show 120 episodes · Actor
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
as Henrietta the Chicken
The Bay City Rollers Show(1978)
Show as Mr. Munchy
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows
The Brady Bunch Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Show 2 episodes · Actor
The World of Sid & Marty Krofft at the Hollywood Bowl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
as Pufnstuf
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Show 29 episodes · as Sweet Mama Ooze
Lidsville(1971)
Show 17 episodes · as Tonsolini the Opera Hat
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows
The Bugaloos(1970)
Show 17 episodes · as Tweeter
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all shows
Pufnstuf(1970)
Actor
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films