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Pierre Culliford (25 June 1928 – 24 December 1992), known asPeyo, was aBelgian comics artist. He is best known for makingThe Smurfscomic strip.[1]
Peyo was born in 1928 inBrussels. He was the son of anEnglish father and a Belgian mother.[2] OnChristmas Eve 1992, Peyo died of aheart attack in Brussels at age 64.
He went to theAcadémie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. Peyo began work at theCompagnie Belge d'Animation (CBA), a small Belgian animation studio. There he met a few of his future colleagues, likeAndré Franquin,Morris andEddy Paape. He made his first comics for the newspaperLa Dernière Heure (The Latest Hour). From 1949 to 1952, he drewPoussy, a stop comic about a cat, forLe Soir. For the same newspaper, he also madeJohan.
In 1952, Franquin introduced Peyo toLe Journal de Spirou. It was a children'scomics magazine published byDupuis which was first in Belgium in 1938.[2] Peyo wrote and drew a lot of characters and storylines. His favourite wasJohan et Pirlouit (translated into English asJohan and Peewit). Set in theMiddle Ages inEurope,Johan et Pirlouit stars a brave youngpage to the king, and his faithful, if boastful and cheating, midgetsidekick. Johan defends the meek on his trusty horse, while Peewit gallops behind on his goat, named Biquette.
The first smurf appeared inJohan and Peewit on 23 October 1958 in the albumLa Flûte à Six Schtroumpfs (The Six Smurfed Flute). As the smurfs became more popular, Peyo started a studio in the early 1960s. Many talentedcomic artists started to work. The most notable artists to come from this studio areWalthéry,Wasterlain,Gos,Derib,Degieter, andDesorgher.
In 1959, the Smurfs got their ownseries. Many authors of theMarcinelle school worked together on the writing or as an artist. These includeWilly Maltaite (aka 'Will'),Yvan Delporte, andRoger Leloup. Peyo became more of a businessman and supervisor. He let his son, Thierry Culliford, lead the studio. His daughter Véronique was responsible for the merchandising.[2]
The merchandising of the Smurfs began in 1959. The PVC figurines were the most important piece until the late 1970s. Then, with the success of the Smurf records byFather Abraham, the Smurfs got more international success. Some of the toys reached theUnited States.Hanna-Barbera made aSaturday morning animated series in 1981. Peyo was story supervisor.