Peyo
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Pierre Culliford (; 25 June 1928 â€“ 24 December 1992) was a Belgian comics writer and artist who worked under the pseudonym Peyo (). His best-known works are the comic book series ''
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...
'' and '' Johan and Peewit'', in the latter of which the Smurfs made their first appearance.


Early life

Culliford was born in 1928 in the Belgian municipality
Schaerbeek (French language, French, ; former History of Dutch orthography, Dutch spelling) or (modern Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Reg ...
, Belgium. He was the son of an English father and a Belgian mother.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Peyo". In België gestript, pp. 148–149. Tielt: Lannoo.


Career

Culliford took on the name "Peyo" early in his professional career, based on an English cousin's mispronunciation of Pierrot (a diminutive form of Pierre). After working briefly at the Compagnie Belge d'Actualités (CBA), a small and short-lived Belgian animation studio, Peyo began making comic strips for daily newspapers such as ''
Le Soir ''Le Soir'' (, ) is a French-language Belgian daily newspaper. Founded in 1887 by Émile Rossel, it was intended as a politically independent source of news. Together with '' La Libre Belgique'', it is one of the most popular Francophone newsp ...
'' shortly after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. At the beginning of the 1950s, he brought his character Johan to the magazine '' Spirou'', whom he soon gave a companion, the diminutive Peewit; the strip soon became a staple of the weeklies. Peyo introduced the Smurfs in the ''Johan and Peewit'' storyline ''The Magic Flute'' in 1958; the characters quickly supplanted Johan and Peewit in popularity and left them behind for their own series. In 1960, Peyo founded a studio to accommodate his assistants such as François Walthéry, Gos, and and created the series '' Steven Strong'' and '. Peyo's output diminished in the 1970s, at first due to the time he invested in '' The Smurfs and the Magic Flute'' (1976), a film adaptation of the ''Johan and Peewit'' story "La flûte à six schtroumpfs"; in the 1980s, he put more time, despite recurrent health problems, into an American adaptation of ''The Smurfs'' as an animated television series. After the series concluded, he left his publisher
Dupuis Éditions Dupuis S.A. () is a Belgium, Belgian publisher of comic albums and magazines. Based in Marcinelle near Charleroi, Dupuis is mostly famous for its comic comics album, albums and magazines. Initially a French language publisher, it now ...
to found his own publishing house, Cartoon Creation, and a cartoon magazine, ''Schtroumpf!'', which soon folded due to management problems. He joined
Le Lombard Le Lombard (), known as Les Éditions du Lombard () until 1989, is a Belgian comic book publisher established in 1946 when '' Tintin'' magazine was launched. Le Lombard became part of Média-Participations since 1986, alongside publishers Darg ...
in 1992 but died a few months later. Peyo began work, fresh from his coursework at the
Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Brussels ( ''(ArBA-EsA)''; ) is an art school in Brussels, Belgium, founded in 1711. Starting from modest beginnings in a single room in Brussels Town Hall, Brussels' Town Hall, it has since 1876 been operat ...
in Brussels, at the (CBA), a small Belgian animation studio, where he met a few of his future colleagues and co-celebrities, like
André Franquin André Franquin (; 3 January 1924 – 5 January 1997) was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best-known creations are ''Gaston (comics), Gaston'' and ''Marsupilami''. He also produced the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comic strip from 1946 to ...
, Morris, and Eddy Paape. When the studio folded after the war, the other artists went to work for
Dupuis Éditions Dupuis S.A. () is a Belgium, Belgian publisher of comic albums and magazines. Based in Marcinelle near Charleroi, Dupuis is mostly famous for its comic comics album, albums and magazines. Initially a French language publisher, it now ...
, but Peyo, a few years younger than the others, was not accepted. He made his first comics for the newspaper ''
La Dernière Heure ''La Dernière Heure'' () and ''Les Sports'' (), currently sold under the name ''La DH Les Sports+'', is a French-language daily newspaper published in Brussels, Belgium. The paper is known for news and sports. History and profile ''La Dernià ...
'' (The Latest Hour), but also accepted many promotional drawing jobs for income. From 1949 to 1952, he drew '' Poussy'', a gag-a-day comic about a cat, for ''
Le Soir ''Le Soir'' (, ) is a French-language Belgian daily newspaper. Founded in 1887 by Émile Rossel, it was intended as a politically independent source of news. Together with '' La Libre Belgique'', it is one of the most popular Francophone newsp ...
''. For the same newspaper, he also created ''Johan''. In 1952, Franquin introduced Peyo to '' Spirou'', a children's Franco-Belgian comics magazine published by
Dupuis Éditions Dupuis S.A. () is a Belgium, Belgian publisher of comic albums and magazines. Based in Marcinelle near Charleroi, Dupuis is mostly famous for its comic comics album, albums and magazines. Initially a French language publisher, it now ...
. Peyo wrote and drew a number of characters and storylines, including ''Pierrot'', and ''Benoît Brisefer'' (translated into English as '' Steven Strong''). But his favourite was ''Johan et Pirlouit'' (translated into English as '' Johan and Peewit''), which was a continuation of the series ''Johan'' he had created earlier. He also continued ''Poussy'' in ''Spirou''. Set in the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
in Europe, ''Johan et Pirlouit'' stars a brave young
page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...
to the king, and his faithful, if boastful and cheating, dwarf
sidekick A sidekick is a close companion or colleague who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to those whom they accompany. Origins The first recorded use of the term dates from 1896. It is believed to have originated in pickpocket slang of ...
. Johan rides off to defend the meek on his trusty horse, while Peewit gallops sporadically behind on his goat, named Biquette. The pair was driven by duty to their king and the courage to defend the underpowered. Peewit only appeared in the third adventure in 1954 but would stay for all later adventures.


Smurfs

The first Smurf appeared in '' Johan and Peewit'' on 23 October 1958 in the album ''La Flûte à Six Schtroumpfs'' (''The Six Smurfed Flute''). As the Smurfs became increasingly popular, Peyo started a studio in the early 1960s, where a number of talented comics artists started to work. Peyo himself supervised the work and worked primarily on ''Johan and Peewit'', leaving the Smurfs to the studio. The most notable artists to come out of this studio were Walthéry, , (Gos), Derib, , and . In 1959, the Smurfs got their own series, and in 1960, two more began: '' Steven Strong'' and ''Jacky and Célestin''. Many authors of the Marcinelle school collaborated on the writing, or on the artwork, including Willy Maltaite (aka 'Will'), Yvan Delporte, and Roger Leloup. Peyo became more of a businessman and supervisor and was less involved in the actual creation of the comics. He let his son, Thierry Culliford, lead the studio, while his daughter Véronique was responsible for the merchandising (I.M.P.S. was established in 1985 by her). The merchandising of the Smurfs began in 1959, with the PVC figurines as the most important aspect until the late 1970s. Then, with the success of
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...
records by Pierre Kartner, the Smurfs achieved more international success, with a new boom in toys and gadgets. Some of these reached the United States, where
Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...
created a Saturday morning animated series in 1981 for which Peyo served as story supervisor. Peyo's health began to fail. In 1989, after his partnership with Dupuis ended, he established Cartoon Creation to publish new Smurf stories. In late 1991, the company was forced to shut down due to mismanagement. The publishing rights were soon sold to Le Lombard.


Personal life

In 1952, Culliford married
Nine Culliford Janine Culliford (née Devroye; 29 March 1930 – 5 July 2016) was a Belgian colourist of comic strips. Nine Culliford was the wife of the comic strip creator known as Peyo (the pseudonym of Pierre Culliford, 1928–1992). She coloured his ill ...
. They had two children.


Death

Peyo died of a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
in Brussels on
Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...
1992, at the age of 64. His studio still exists, and new stories for various series are regularly produced under his name.


Legacy

Since his death, Peyo's children have continued to promote his work under the brand "Peyo". In the 2011 film ''
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...
'', Peyo was included in the plot as a researcher who studied the myths concerning the Smurfs, who were made to be real-life legendary creatures in the film's storyline.


Awards and honours

* He received the Youth Prize (9–12 years) award 1984 at the
Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (AICF; ) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after Lucca Comics & Games and the Comiket of Japan. It has occur ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. * The 50th anniversary of
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...
and the 80th anniversary of the birth of its creator was celebrated by issuing a high-value collectors' coin: the Belgian 5 euro 50th anniversary of The Smurfs commemorative coin, minted in 2008.


Bibliography

Only those comics Peyo collaborated on are listed here: the comics made in those series after his death can be found in the articles for each series. Artist and writers mentioned are only those officially credited: unnamed studio collaborators are not listed here. *''Jacky and Célestin'', 1960–1978: 10 stories in ''Le Soir'', 4 albums by
Dupuis Éditions Dupuis S.A. () is a Belgium, Belgian publisher of comic albums and magazines. Based in Marcinelle near Charleroi, Dupuis is mostly famous for its comic comics album, albums and magazines. Initially a French language publisher, it now ...
: artwork by François Walthéry, Francis, Jo-El Azara and Mitteï, stories by Peyo, Gos, and Vicq *'' Johan and Peewit'' (''Johan et Pirlouit''), 1952–1970: 13 albums by Dupuis *'' Natacha'', 1992: 1 album by Dupuis, artwork by Walthéry, story by Peyo *': 1991, 1 album by Cartoon Creation *'' Poussy'', 1977–, 3 albums by Dupuis *''
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...
'' (''Les Schtroumpfs''), 1959–, 17 albums by Dupuis: additional artwork by Alain Maury and Luc Parthoens, additional stories by Yvan Delporte, Gos, Thierry Culliford *''
Spirou & Fantasio ''Spirou & Fantasio'' (), commonly shortened to ''Spirou'', is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comics. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European comics, European humorous adventu ...
'', 1969, 1 album by Dupuis, artwork by
André Franquin André Franquin (; 3 January 1924 – 5 January 1997) was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best-known creations are ''Gaston (comics), Gaston'' and ''Marsupilami''. He also produced the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comic strip from 1946 to ...
and Jidéhem, story by Peyo and Gos *'' Steven Strong'' (''Benoît Brisefer''), 1960–1978, 7 albums by Dupuis, additional artwork by
Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
, Walthéry, Marc Wasterlain and Albert Blesteau, additional stories by Yvan Delporte, Gos, and Blesteau


References


External links


Peyo biography
on Lambiek Comiclopedia, lambiek.net
Peyo biography
dupuis.com
Peyo biography
''The Smurfs'' official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Peyo 1928 births 1992 deaths 20th-century Belgian artists 20th-century Belgian writers Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Brussels alumni Artists from Brussels Belgian animators Belgian comics artists Belgian comics writers Belgian fantasy writers Belgian fantasy artists Belgian illustrators Belgian people of English descent Hanna-Barbera people Pseudonymous comics artists Spirou (magazine) people