Peyo

Pierre Culliford is a writer and artist who worked under the pseudonym Peyo. His best-known works are the comic book series The Smurfs and Johan and Peewit, in the latter of which the Smurfs made their first appearance. Born in Belgium in 1928, Peyo began his career working with some of Belgium's most talented cartoonists, including his lifelong writing partner Yvan Delporte. In 1958, The Smurfs made their first appearance and went on to become the world-famous characters we know and love today.