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Who was the man that dropped out of art school almost as soon as he entered, and whose teacher told him he had no future in cartooning? Who was the mastermind behind the blue empire that helped define a generation of kids in the 1980s?

The television show he inspired ran for nearly ten years. Little blue and white creatures were everywhere—and one man from Belgium was responsible for it all.

The Smurfs begin with a man named Pierre Culliford, otherwise known as Peyo. Peyo was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1926 to an English father and a Belgian mother.

He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels but dropped out at 17. He looked in the paper for a job. Two caught his eye: offers for a dental assistant and an illustrator. When he presented himself to the dentist, he was told he was just 15 minutes too late!

Peyo began work at the Compagnie Belge d’Animation (CBA), a small Belgian animation studio, where he met a few of his future colleagues, like André Franquin, Morris and Eddy Paape. When the studio folded after the war, the other artists went to work for Dupuis, but Peyo, a few years younger than the others, was not accepted.

Peyo followed suit in 1947 and created Johan for La Derniere Heure. This “prototype” Johan strip was about a medieval page boy and ran for a single year. In 1954, Peyo decided to follow Morris to the popular weekly comic Spirou. Johan needed some retooling, so his hair color was changed from blond to black. He was given a “peewee” sidekick. Pirlouit (also called Peewee) was his mischeivous new companion who brought levity and conflict to the comic. The comic was renamed Johan et Pirlouit.

It was, in fact, Johan et Pirlouit that gave birth to Peyo’s most popular creation... The Smurfs! 1958 was the year it all began—the year that would change Peyo’s life and legacy forever.

In 1958, Peyo created a Johan et Pirlouit story called The Flute with Six Holes. In this story, Johan and Pirlouit meet our little blue buddies, The Smurfs, for the very first time. The Smurfs are three apples tall and live during the medieval era. Peyo stated that the Smurfs were inspired by the trolls of Nordic fairy tales, and that the Smurfs’ blue pallor was selected because it was a color he thought children would like. Dupuis, the company that published Spirou, released a Pirlouit figurine that same year as well. Slowly but surely Peyo’s Smurf figurine army was beginning to assemble.

Dupuis wanted to see if The Smurfs could be spun-off from Johan et Pirlouit. They tested The Smurfs comic in special mini-stories to see if the Smurfs would be popular solo. And yes, readers loved The Smurfs! The Smurfs soon eclipsed Johan and Pirlouit in popularity.

The Smurfs were popular basically everywhere French-language comics were sold in the 1960s. A Smurf film was the next logical step—a full length Smurf movie, was released in 1976. All the Smurfs needed to do next was to conquer the rest of the world in multiple languages.

In 1978, Father Abraham released his famous Smurf Song. The song was an instant hit, and most importantly, it was in English. Finally, the Smurfs were accessible and relevant to English-speaking audiences. Almost the instant after Father Abraham released his song, the UK, Australia and North America began to take notice of the Smurfs. The stage was set for an American invasion—one started in the most peculiar way imaginable: all thanks to a little girl.

Melissa Silverman loved the Smurfs. Melissa wanted a Smurfs TV show. Melissa could make it happen. How could this little girl make a Smurfs TV show? Anything is possible when your dad is NBC television executive Fred Silverman! Mr. Silverman contacted Dupuis and the famous Smurf animated series was born. It really was that simple.

Peyo could not have imagined how popular his little blue friends would become. The sheer volume of Smurf figurines, dolls, and music sold in the American market was astounding. It was absolutely impossible to be alive in the United States and not see, hear, and experience the Smurfs in the 1980s. They were everywhere: even live Smurf mascots could be found at amusement parks! The Smurfs were icons of the 1980s but things started to slow down in 1989. Once The Smurfs cartoon show ended, Smurf mania began to subside. It was an amazing decade... but the Smurf fun isn’t over yet!

The Smurfs didn’t disappear, however. Nothing could stop the success of Peyo’s creation—not even his own death. Peyo died of a heart attack on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1992. Peyo’s heirs have continued to support the Smurfs with collectibles, promotions and publications throughout Europe and the rest of the world. In America, Peyo’s legacy continues with the Columbia Pictures Smurf Movie being released in 2011, part of a planned trilogy. Thanks to the movie, we are finally getting new waves of Smurf collectibles too. It is an amazing time for Smurf collectors because of all the exciting new merchandise (toys, books, clothing and more) currently available for sale. Peyo’s creation is alive and smurfing!

Oh...and how did Peyo he get his nickname, you ask? And what about the word “Smurf”? First of all, “Smurf” is not an invented word—it originates squarely with the German surnames “Schlumpff”. The story goes a little something like this... Peyo was at the dinner table and found himself at a loss for a word. He ended up saying, “Pass the... er... er... Schtroumpf”. The word had just the kind of audial quality he was seeking for his newest creation. Thus, the Smurfs were born. As for Peyo, the name is the result of his English cousin’s inability to pronounce his Dutch name, “Pierrot”, properly.