PIERRE CULLIFORD , born in Belgium in 1928, was the cartoonist known as Peyo. 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. Yvan Delporte is a Belgian comics writer, and was editor-in-chief of Spirou magazine between 1955 and 1968 during a period considered by many the golden age of Franco-Belgian comics. He is credited with several creative contributions, among these his collaborations with Peyo on The Smurfs, with René Follet on Steve Severin (1/2) and André Franquin with the creation of Gaston Lagaffe and the co-authorship of Idées noires.