Betty Lou Varnum (née McVay; May 3, 1931 – August 2021) was an American television personality, best known as host of the long-running children's show, The Magic Window.

After the war, McVay moved to Madison and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with a minor in English literature.

An acquaintance of McVay's who attended the University of Wisconsin, Platteville and worked at WOI-TV in Ames, Iowa suggested her as a host for a television show.

McVay and her special friends, Gregory Lion (a perpetually four-year-old lion), Catrina Crocodile (a witch who had changed herself into a beautiful crocodile), and Dusty the Unicorn (more formally known as Stardust Glimmer, who was 3000 years old – young for a unicorn), would chat with visitors, teach a clever craft, and watch wholesome cartoons such as Felix the Cat and Tales of the Riverbank, a Canadian live-action short about Hammy the Hamster, Roderick the Rat, and friends.

Varnum also produced and hosted the award-winning Status 6, which focused on the struggles of the handicapped in Iowa, for which she received the McCall's Golden Mike Award for Women in Radio and Television in 1965.

During her 40-year career, Varnum received endless recognition and awards for her pioneering work in the television industry and as a woman in the early days of local broadcasting.