Lois Patrice Griffin (née Pewterschmidt) is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane. MacFarlane was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company based on Larry and Steve, a short he made which featured a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve. After the pilot was given the green light, the Griffin family appeared in the episode "Death Has a Shadow".