Captain Underpants is an illustrated children's graphic novel series by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. The series revolves around two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, living in Piqua, Ohio, and Captain Underpants, an aptly named superhero from one of the boys' homemade comic books, who accidentally becomes real when George and Harold hypnotize their cruel, bossy, and ill-tempered principal, Mr. Krupp. From the third book onwards, Mr. Krupp also possesses superhuman strength, durability and flight as a result of drinking alien "Extra-Strength Super Power Juice".
Currently, the series includes 12 books, two activity books, 15 spin-offs, coloured version and won a Kids' Choice Award on April 4, 2006. As of 2014, the series has been translated into more than 20 languages, [1] with more than 80 million books sold worldwide, [1] including over 50 million in the United States. [2] DreamWorks Animation acquired the rights to the series to make an animated feature film adaptation, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie , which was released on June 2, 2017, to positive reviews, followed by a television series, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants , which aired on Netflix from July 13, 2018 to December 4, 2020, also to positive reviews.
After the main series concluded with the twelfth novel, Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot , in 2016, a spin-off series titled Dog Man was released the following year. [3] The spin-off series has 12 books so far.
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In book 11, when the teachers saw two Georges and two Harolds, they think they are dreaming and then they go naked. They are arrested when Miss Fitt pulled down Officer McWiggly's pants. Mr Hand in the series gets hired.
The main series of novels has developed a pattern of alliteration from the fourth book on. The third book's "annoyingly long" title became a running joke in subsequent books.
Novels 6–12 in the main series form one unbroken story, in which the ending of each of such novel except the last is a cliffhanger, and the next novel in sequence immediately picks up where the last one left off.
Dog Man is a comedic graphic novel series created by Dav Pilkey as a full spin-off book series after Captain Underpants ended with its 12th entry. [7] The book series centers around Dog Man, a new hero with the body of a police officer and the head of a dog sewed together. [8] There are 12 books so far in the series. [9] The latest book, Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder was released on March 19, 2024.
An animated film based on the comics is in development with a release date of January 31, 2025.
In 2020, ten Dog Man books (including one Cat Kid Comic Club, a spin-off) sold a total of over 3.8 million copies, 13% of the total comic book sales, as charted by BookScan. This does not include digital copies or any copy sold by Scholastic through school book fairs. [10]
These books have been released or announced so far in the series:
The series has its own spin-off series titled Cat Kid Comic Club, with five books released:
These books were reported "coming soon-ish" at the end of a few books. No further information or cancellation has been released since their tease.
According to the American Library Association, the Captain Underpants books were reported as some of the most banned and challenged books in the United States between 2000 and 2009 (13), [12] as well as between 2010 and 2019. [13] The books were named one of the top ten most banned and challenged books in 2002 (6), 2004 (4), 2005 (8), 2012 (1), 2013 (1), and 2018 (3). [14] The Captain Underpants series was explicitly banned in some schools for "insensitivity, offensive language, encouraging disruptive behavior, LGBTQIA+ issues, violence, being unsuited to the age group, sexually explicit content, anti-family content, as well as encouraging children to disobey authority." [14]
The American Library Association stated in a release by the National Coalition Against Censorship that "This year's #1 banned book, Captain Underpants... is the gift that keeps on giving. Why? Because these popular, silly books are read by parents, with their children, all over the country. The toilet humor makes parents roll their eyes and kids giggle. The absurdity of banning books to attack perceived moral problems is exemplified by this year's winner." [15]
In October 2015, the 12th book received controversy due to a reference to Harold being gay. Some elementary schools have banned the book due to this. [16] [17]
On March 29, 2021, Pilkey and Scholastic announced that The Adventures of Ook and Gluk would be ceasing further publication due to its use of passive stereotypes towards Asians, which Pilkey stated to be, despite unintentional, "harmful to everyone". Pilkey also announced that he would be donating all royalties from the book to organizations dedicated to stopping violence towards Asians and Asian-Americans. [18]
Although the first few books came out regularly, the ninth book, Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers (advertised in a teaser at the end of the eighth book), was not released until 2012, after a six-year wait. During this time, Dav Pilkey was caring for his terminally ill father, who died in 2008. [19] In 2009, he signed a deal with Scholastic for four new books, the first of which was The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future, released August 10, 2010. The second was Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers, released June 28, 2011. [20] The third book, Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers, was released August 28, 2012. The fourth book, Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers, was released January 16, 2013.
On October 20, 2011, it was reported that DreamWorks Animation had acquired rights to make an animated feature film based on the Captain Underpants series. [21] On October 25, 2013, it was reported that Rob Letterman would direct the film, while Nicholas Stoller would write the script. [2] It would have been the second film to have Letterman and Stoller working together, the first being Gulliver's Travels . On January 21, 2014, the cast was announced, with Ed Helms joining as Mr. Krupp/Captain Underpants; Kevin Hart as George Beard; Thomas Middleditch as Harold Hutchins; Nick Kroll as the insidious villain, Professor Poopypants; and Jordan Peele as Melvin, the nerdy nemesis of George and Harold. [1] On June 12, 2014, the film was scheduled for release on January 13, 2017. [22] Following DreamWorks Animation's reorganization in early 2015, the studio announced that the film would be produced outside of the studio's pipeline at a significantly lower cost. [23] It would be instead animated at Mikros Image in Montreal, Canada, and it would look differently than most of DWA's films. [24] A month later, Deadline reported that Letterman had left the project, and that David Soren, the director of Turbo , was in talks to direct the film, [25] but Letterman returned to the project and served as an executive producer with Dav Pilkey. [26] The film was expected to be released on March 10, 2017, [25] but in September 2015, DreamWorks Animation's The Boss Baby took over its date. [27] The film was released on June 2, 2017. [28] [29]
On December 9, 2020, it was announced that a Dog Man feature film is in development at DreamWorks Animation with Peter Hastings directing at the helm after his experience with Dav Pilkey's works from The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants . [30] On October 6, 2023, the movie was confirmed to be released in 2025. [31] On January 29, 2024, it was announced that the film will be released on January 31, 2025. [32]
Dav Pilkey had looked to turn the books into a possible TV series, and he had imagined Chris Farley in the titular role. Around the same year the first book debuted to the public, Farley died of a drug overdose. [33] Defunct animation studio Soup2Nuts also attempted to produce an animated series based on the books in the early 2000s. [34]
DreamWorks Animation Television produced a television series based on the film that was streamed to Netflix. It was released on July 13, 2018. [35] [36]
In 2020, an interactive special called Captain Underpants Epic Choice-o-Rama was released on Netflix. The special involves Harold and George stopping Mr. Krupp from destroying their beloved treehouse. [37]
Censors in the United States have been targeting the Captain Underpants series after the first book was released in 1997. [38] The Office of Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association reported that Captain Underpants is the book series with the most complaints from libraries due to offensive content in the United States in 2012 and 2013. [39] Several parents accused the book of having language inappropriate for the book's target audience, children enrolled in elementary schools. [40]
Jessica Roake, in an article published in Slate , argued that the books are well suited for young readers. She wrote that "They're drawn to them because for the first time in their reading lives they are understood, entertained, and catered to all at once. It is theirs, not ours, and that feeling of exclusive ownership forges the kind of connection everyone should have with at least one book in their life. For that, most every English teacher of my acquaintance will be more than happy to take the shot to the ego the Captain provides." [38]
The series has frequently been compared with the Horace Splattly series, [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] but not always positively. [46]
The Captain Underpants spin-off series Dog Man received positive reviews from book critics. Darienne Stewart of Common Sense Media rated the first two books four stars out of five, saying that the first book Dog Man was "riotous, silly fun with soft touch by Underpants creator", [47] and the second book, Dog Man: Unleashed has "half-man, half-dog, all-heart hero delights in silly sequel." [48]
Toilet humour, or potty or scatological humour, is a type of off-colour humour dealing with defecation, diarrhea, constipation, urination and flatulence, and to a lesser extent vomiting and other bodily functions.
David Murray "Dav" Pilkey Jr. is an American cartoonist, author, and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known as the author and illustrator of the children's book series, Captain Underpants, and its spin-off children's graphic novel series Dog Man, the latter published under the respective writer and illustrator pen names of George Beard and Harold Hutchins, which are also the names of the two protagonists of the Captain Underpants series.
The Adventures of Captain Underpants is an American children's novel by Dav Pilkey, and the inaugural novel of the Captain Underpants series. It was published in September 1997, becoming a hit with children around the world. In the novel, George Beard and Harold Hutchins turn their principal, Mr. Krupp, into the "greatest superhero of all time", The Amazing Captain Underpants. It has spawned many sequels and subseries such as Super Diaper Baby, Dog Man, and The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future.
Jerome Phillip Horwitz was an American scientist; his affiliations included the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Michigan Cancer Foundation.
Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets is an American children's book by Dav Pilkey, another second book in the Captain Underpants book series. It was published on February 1, 1999. It marks the first appearance of the Turbo Toilet 2000, the Talking Toilets, and the Incredible Robo-Plunger, as well as George and Harold's nerdy tattletale nemesis Melvin Sneedly.
Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds) is the third book of the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. The series of American children's books are about two fourth graders, George and Harold, and their mean principal Mr. Krupp, who can turn into Captain Underpants. It was published on September 1, 1999. It is the first book to feature the use of 'Extra-Strength Super Power Juice' (an invention of Zorx, Klax, and Jennifer, the antagonists of the book), which is used to give Captain Underpants superpowers later in the book.
Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants is the fourth book in the Captain Underpants series written by Dav Pilkey. The book is about a mad scientist named Professor Pippy P. Poopypants becoming a new science teacher at Jerome Horwitz Elementary. However, all the students laugh at his name.
Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman is the fifth book in the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. It was published on August 29, 2001. It features the reformation of George and Harold's formerly cruel teacher, Ms. Ribble, at the end using the 3-D Hypno Ring through reverse psychology, because the ring causes females to do the opposite of what the bearers of the ring force them to do.
Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy are the sixth and seventh books in the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. The first part was published on August 1, 2003, and the second part was published on September 30, 2003. The books feature the debut of George and Harold's new pets Sulu and Crackers who first appeared in the first and second parts respectively. The second part also features the debut of time travel in the series, which would become a core theme of the series later on.
Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People is the eighth book in the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. It was published on August 15, 2006, two years and eleven months after the release of the previous book. This was the last Captain Underpants book to be published for 6 years, until Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers was published in 2012.
The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby is an American children's novel by Dav Pilkey, created as a spin-off of Pilkey's Captain Underpants series. It was published on February 5, 2002. The plot of the book involves a baby named Billy who gains superpowers shortly after birth. Billy teams up with a super-powered dog, Diaper Dog, to fight Diaper Dog's former master, a sentient piece of feces named Deputy Dangerous.
The Hallo-Wiener is a children's book by Dav Pilkey. It was published in 1995 by The Blue Sky Press. The story's main character is Oscar the dachshund, named after Oscar Mayer.
Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers is a 2012 American children's novel and the ninth book in the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. It was published on August 28, 2012, six years after the publication of the previous book. Tippy Tinkletrousers is actually Professor Poopypants, as revealed in the previous book. This book explains how Tippy Tinkletrousers arrived at the end of the eighth book, as well as a prequel story of George and Harold in kindergarten explaining how their friendship began and setting the page for their life before Captain Underpants.
The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future is a graphic novel by Dav Pilkey, the second spin-off of the Captain Underpants series. The book is credited to Captain Underpants characters "George Beard" as the author and "Harold Hutchins" as the illustrator.
Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers is the tenth book in the Captain Underpants series created by Dav Pilkey. It was published on January 15, 2013. This book is a continuation of the last one where George and Harold go back in time and team up with cavemen to stop Tippy Tinkletrousers once and for all.
Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 is a novel by Dav Pilkey and the eleventh book in the Captain Underpants series. It was published on August 26, 2014.
Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot is the twelfth and final book in the Captain Underpants series, written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey. The book continues after the eleventh book as George, Harold, and their clones switch places, only to find their gym teacher Mr. Meaner has become Sir Stinks-A-Lot, who turns his students into slaves. The boys team up with their adult counterparts to save the world.
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is a 2017 American animated superhero comedy film based on Dav Pilkey's children's novel series Captain Underpants, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by David Soren from a screenplay by Nicholas Stoller, and stars the voices of Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Thomas Middleditch, Nick Kroll, Jordan peele, and Kristen Schaal. The film was released during the 20th anniversary of the Captain Underpants series. In the film, fourth-grade pranksters George and Harold hypnotize their humorless principal Mr. Krupp into thinking he is a superhero named Captain Underpants. The movie loosely adapts the first, second, fourth, and eleventh Captain Underpants books.
The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants is an American animated television series produced by DreamWorks Animation Television. Developed for television by Peter Hastings and Mark Banker, it is a sequel to the 2017 feature film Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, based on the Captain Underpants book series by Dav Pilkey.
Dog Man is an upcoming 2025 American animated superhero comedy film based on Dav Pilkey's children's comic book series of the same name, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. A spin-off and story within a story of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), it is being directed by The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants (2018–2020) developer and executive producer Peter Hastings.
"Trolls," set for a 2016 release, will be the first film to be made with the $120 million budget.