Pierre "Peyo" Culliford (French: [kylifɔʁ]; 25 June 1928 – 24 December 1992) was a Belgian comics writer and artist who worked under the pseudonym Peyo ([pejo]). His best-known works are the comic strips The Smurfs and Johan and Peewit, in which the Smurfs first appeared. He joined Le Lombard in 1992 but died a few months later. Since his death, Peyo's children have continued to promote his work under the brand "Peyo". He has received awards and Honours such as the commemorative coin, which was attributed for his role in the creation of The Smurfs.