''Captain Underpants'' is an illustrated
children's novel series by American author and illustrator
Dav Pilkey. The series revolves around two
fourth grade
Fourth grade (also called grade four, equivalent to Year 5 in England and Wales, and Year 4 in Australia) is a year of Elementary education in some countries. In North America, the fourth grade is the fifth school year of elementary school. Stud ...
rs,
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, and won a Kids' Choice Award on April 4, 2006. As of 2014, the series has been translated into more than 20 languages,
with more than 80 million books sold worldwide,
including over 50 million in the United States.
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
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.
After the main series concluded with the twelfth novel, ''
Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot'', in 2015, a spin-off series titled ''
Dog Man'' was released the following year. The spin-off series has ten books so far.
Characters
Overview
List indicator(s):
* A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the property or that the character's presence in the property has yet to be announced.
* A Main indicates a character had a starring role in the property.
* A Supporting indicates the character appeared in two or more times within the property.
* A Guest indicates the character appeared once in the property.
Main
* George Beard and Harold Hutchins – Two fourth-grade clever pranksters, who are best friends, next-door neighbors and the main protagonists of the series. They started a comic book company called "Treehouse Comix, Inc.", and every so often at school they sneak to the secretary's office to make copies of their latest comic book and sell them on the playground for 50 cents. They are the class clowns in 4th grade at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School (named for
Curly of the Three Stooges), a school which discourages imagination and fun, located in
Piqua, Ohio. They often get in trouble and serious events with Mr. Krupp. Harold's birthday is March 6, 1986, and George's is July 11, 1986. After time travel antics, duplicates of them are created in the present, referred to as Yesterday George and Yesterday Harold. After the original duo travel to the future, they find their others selves to have become graphic novel creators. Future Yesterday George married a white woman named Lisa and had two mixed-race children named Meena and Nik. Future Yesterday Harold married a man named Billy and had adopted twin children named Owen and Kei. George's parents are named Moses and Barbara, while Harold's mother is named Grace. George's grandmother and Harold's grandfather appear in the eighth book, where they unknowingly drink the last of the superpower juice while reading a comic the boys created where they are the heroes. They later transform into the same heroes to defend George and Harold from Captain Blunderpants and profess their love to each other, much to the boys' disgust. In the adaptations, their personalities are mostly unchanged, but they now usually only prank to entertain their schoolmates and treat Captain Underpants more as a friend than a last resort. In the film, they are respectively voiced by
Kevin Hart and
Thomas Middleditch and by Ramone Hamilton and Jay Gragnani in the series.
* Mr. Benjamin "Benny" Krupp – The cruel and mean-spirited principal of Jerome Horwitz Elementary School and the
antihero of the series (usually when no real dangers are happening). He is usually depicted as an overweight man. Mr. Krupp has a deep hatred of children and also tries to protect the students at Jerome Horwitz Elementary from George and Harold's pranks. Why he is so mean to children, in general, is unknown, but it is hinted that it is because of his own troubled and dysfunctional past. Mr. Krupp's birthday is on April 1, 1951; he has a younger brother named Jasper (Kipper's father), and his parents are named John and Bernice. When Mr. Krupp was little, he performed an awful hip-hop dance at a talent show, his mother passed out fruits and vegetables to the audience so they could throw them at him because he did not watch the cows from his family farm. This leads him to become mean, cold-hearted and vow to make all kids feel just as bad as he did. His last name is a pun of the word "corrupt". When he goes by his full name, it is a pun on "bankrupt". Mr. Krupp was based on Mr. Crutch, and was supposed to be named Mr. Crutch. He was named after Mr. Crutch from ''
Shrimps for a Day
''Shrimps for a Day'' is a 1934 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. It was the 133rd ''Our Gang'' short (45th talking episode) that was released.
Plot
The gang resides at the Happy Home Orphanage, an inaptly named organization ...
''. In the film, it is revealed that he read George and Harold's comics when he confiscated them and felt they were a little funny, which explains how he knows what Captain Underpants acts like when he is hypnotized. In the film, he is voiced by
Ed Helms
Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sitcom ''The Offic ...
and in the series, he is voiced by
Nat Faxon.
* Captain Underpants – The
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
counterpart and
alter ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...
of Mr. Krupp, when he is hypnotized to think he is "Captain Underpants", a character created by George and Harold. He only wears briefs and a red cape with black
polka dot
Red polka dots on a yellow background
Girl wearing polka dot dress
Polish ceramics
German ceramics
Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of large filled circles of the same size.
Polka dots are commonly seen on children's clothing, ...
s. Whenever Mr. Krupp hears the sound of fingers snapping, he turns into Captain Underpants and he turns back into Mr. Krupp when he is soaked with water. Captain Underpants gains superpowers in the third book and possessed superhuman strength, durability, flight and "wedgie power" where he can pull unlimited underwear from his utility waistband. As the book series went on, Captain Underpants seemed to have increasingly minor roles in each installment. In the 12th book, he lost his superpowers and was erased from existence, much to George and Harold's apathy. Captain Underpants is considered to be the "light side" of Mr. Krupp himself, as he is nice and kind to everyone, especially children. He is very protective of the children, especially George and Harold since he believes that they're his trusty sidekicks. In the film, he is voiced by
Ed Helms
Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sitcom ''The Offic ...
and in the series, he is voiced by
Nat Faxon.
* Melvin Richard Sneedly – George and Harold's nerdy nemesis. He is an annoying snitch, a genius inventor and the school's smartest student. His parents, Cindy and Gaylord, are professional scientists and are canonically neglectful. It is thought to believe that his parents' neglectful behavior and snobby attitudes contribute to his anger and snobbiness. In the Netflix series, he is thought to have been inventing ever since he was a baby and has a bizarre sense of humor, laughing at videos of rotting fruit. Apparently, in the movie, he is the only student who has no sense of humor because he thinks everything childish is not funny and only focuses on his studies so he can get extra credit. He is also said to have no
brain stem (which Poopypants calls the "Hahaguffawchucklealamus"). In the eleventh book, he becomes a superhero named Big Melvin after he defeats the Turbo Toilet 2000 after he drinks superpower juice he created from a disgusting toenail from Mr. Krupp. He rescues people from emergencies, but later, people started to abuse the system by calling him, but it was not an emergency at all. He travels in time to bring Captain Underpants back to the present to defeat the Turbo Toilet 2000 so his life as a superhero would never become reality. In the film, he is voiced by
Jordan Peele
Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his film and television work in the comedy and horror genres. Peele's breakout role came in 2003, when he was hired as a cast membe ...
and in the series by
Jorge Diaz.
* Sulu and Crackers – George and Harold's pets. Sulu was Melvin's abandoned pet bionic
hamster after he yelled at Sulu which offended him but afterward was adopted by George and Harold. Crackers is their pet ''
Quetzalcoatlus
''Quetzalcoatlus'' is a genus of pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous period of North America (Maastrichtian stage); its members were among the largest known flying animals of all time. ''Quetzalcoatlus'' is a member of the Azhdarchidae, ...
'' they got when they traveled back in time with Melvin Sneedly's
time machine
Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...
. The pair then have three children together named Tony, Dawn and Orlando.
Recurring
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.
* Mr. Kenny Brian Meaner – Mr. Meaner is Jerome Horwitz Elementary School's gym teacher. He is depicted as being an overweight man and with a personality similar to Mr. Krupp's. Like him, he is very cruel to students and often yells at them. He appears in the series, where he is depicted as being incredibly ignorant and talks in a studder by saying "yeah yeah yeah yeah." In book 12, Meaner becomes Sir Stinks-A-Lot. His name is a pun on the word "misdemeanor" or by saying that "can he be meaner." Voiced by
David Koechner in the TV series.
* Miss Edith Anthrope – The school secretary who is often shown to be in a bad mood. Like all the other teachers at the school including Mr. Krupp, she is unkind to children. She is slightly overweight, in contrast to most of the other teachers. In the movie, she is on hold for three days thinking she will win a contest with a cash prize of $1 billion. In
the movie
"The Movie" is the 54th episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. It is the 14th episode of the fourth season, and first aired on January 6, 1993 on NBC. The episode revolves entirely around the characters' struggles to go to see a movie together.
Pl ...
she does not speak, but in
the series, she is voiced by Patty Mattson where she is glum but yells "Fine!". A running gag in the series involves her entering Mr. Krupp's office saying "Did you call me?" followed by something else she says. Her name is a pun of the word "
misanthrope
Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species, human behavior or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from the Greek words μῖσ ...
" or by saying "eat it/miss and throw up."
* Mr. Morty Fyde – Mr. Fyde was the science teacher at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. Unlike all the other grown-ups in the school, he is rather dorky and stupid. The events of the first three books gradually cause him to believe himself is insane and resign from his job to put himself in a mental institution (but in the movie Mr. Krupp simply fires Fyde because he'd rather spend time with his family instead of judge the school science fair and Krupp considers this unacceptable). His name is a pun on the words "mystified" and "mortified." In the film, he is voiced by
Mel Rodriguez
Melvin Dimas Rodríguez (born June 12, 1973) is an American actor, best known for starring as Nurse Patsy de la Serda on the HBO comedy '' Getting On'', as Todd Rodriguez on the Fox comedy '' The Last Man on Earth'', and as Ernie Gomes on the S ...
. In
the series he is voiced by
Stephen Root, where he is released from the mental institution, though he becomes nervous around loud noise, which is unfortunate for Mr. Fyde; an elementary school is practically built on noise. One of Melvin's inventions accidentally fuses Mr. Fyde with an
avocado pit belonging to George and Harold, turning him into a giant avocado monster named Avocadwoe that attacks everything that makes loud sounds. Mr. Fyde is planted by Captain Underpants and he is turned into an avocado tree in a peaceful forest behind the school, something that Mr. Fyde is content with.
* Ms. Tara Ribble – Ms. Ribble is the homeroom teacher of George and Harold's 4th-grade class. In book 5, she is hypnotized into becoming Wedgie Woman. Her name is a pun on the words "terrible" and "miserable." Voiced by
Dee Dee Rescher
Dee Dee Rescher (born August 28, 1953) is an American actress known for her acting and voice-over roles in both film and television.
Early life
She is the daughter of Jewish cinematographer Gayne Rescher (Jay Gayne Rescher) and actress Ottilie ...
in the movie and
Laraine Newman
Laraine Newman (born March 2, 1952) is an American actress, writer and comedian. She was part of the original cast of NBC's ''Saturday Night Live''. She took an interest at improv in high school. After graduating, she studied mime with Marcel M ...
in the TV series.
* Miss Singerbrains – Miss Singerbrains is the librarian at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School who banned all but one of the books in the library and eventually closed down the library. Her name is a pun on saying she is "missing her brains."
* Mr. Riles Rected – Mr. Rected is the guidance counselor at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. He is very nasty to students especially George and Harold and is often seen hanging with Mr. Krupp, Mr. Meaner, Miss Anthrope, and Ms. Ribble. His name is a pun on the word "misdirected." He is also voiced by
Brian Posehn
Brian Edmund Posehn (; born July 6, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, musician, and writer. After numerous appearances as a television guest star, Posehn acquired his first major recurring role in HBO's ''Mr. Show with ...
in the film and
Jorge Diaz in the animated series.
* Ms. Dayken – Ms. Dayken is a member of the teaching board at Jerome Horwitz Elementary school. Her name is a pun on the word "mistaken." In the film, she is voiced by Susan Fitzer and was George and Harold's kindergarten teacher where she teaches about the planets, including "
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Its name is a reference to the Greek god of the sky, Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Caelus), who, according to Greek mythology, was the great-grandfather of Ares (Mars (mythology), Mars), grandfather ...
," which the boys find very amusing.
* Mr. Rusworthy – Mr. Rusworthy is (according to his tie) the music teacher of Jerome Horowitz Elementary school. His name is a pun on the word "Mistrustworthy". In the series, he is replaced by a different music teacher, Ms. Herd.
* The Lunch Ladies – The Lunch Ladies are the three women who run the cafeteria. They are notorious for cooking horrible, inedible, and possibly lethal food. They quit in the third book when Mr. Krupp says he cannot punish George and Harold for their antics without proof, though they are possibly rehired after the replacements are revealed to be aliens. Two of the Lunch Ladies are named, Miss Creant, the head lunch lady, and Mrs. DePoint, the cook. The revealed names are puns on the word "Miscreant" and the phrase "Misses the point".
* Doctor Diaper (known alternatively as Doctor Nappy in the UK) – A diaper-clad mad scientist and the first villain Captain Underpants ever faced.
* The Talking Toilets – An army of living toilets created by George and Harold, who were accidentally brought into the real world with a modified photocopier. They could only say "Yum Yum Eat em Up!"
* The Turbo Toilet 2000 – A giant toilet created by George and Harold, who was accidentally brought into the real world with a modified photocopier. After he was defeated by the Incredible Robo-Plunger, he and the other toilets were taken to
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Its name is a reference to the Greek god of the sky, Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Caelus), who, according to Greek mythology, was the great-grandfather of Ares (Mars (mythology), Mars), grandfather ...
where he remained for several books until being brought back to life by juice from the destroyed Robo-Plunger. In the film, it was now Melvin's invention that was grown by Poopypants with his size ray.
* The Incredible Robo-Plunger – A giant robot created by George and Harold to defeat the Turbo Toilet 2000. Afterwords, he repaired the school and took all the toilets to Uranus where he remained for several books until he was hit on the head by a kickball kicked into space by the Harold 2000. He is then rebuilt by the revived Turbo Toilet 2000 into a rocket scooter so the toilet could return to earth.
* Zorx, Klax, and Jennifer – Three space aliens who planned to invade Piqua, Ohio. They disguised themselves as lunch ladies to turn the students of Jerome Horwitz Elementary School into Zombie Nerds by using Evil Zombie Nerd Juice.
* The Dandelion of Doom – A
dandelion that drank alien super evil rapid-growth juice, causing it to grow into a giant, evil monster.
* Tippy Tinkletrousers (formerly known as Professor Pippy Pee-Pee Poopypants, and in the film as Prof. Pee-Pee Diarrheastien Poopypants Esq.) – A brilliant scientist who unfortunately comes from a foreign country where everyone has a silly name. In book 4, he forces everyone on earth to change their names into a silly one. After his defeat, Professor Poopypants changes his name, suggested by George rather than forcing everybody to change theirs. But Poopypants does not change his name to something normal, instead, he changes it to his grandfather’s name Tippy Tinkletrousers. In the film, he is voiced by
Nick Kroll.
* Wedgie Woman (Ms. Ribble) – A villain created by George and Harold who was based on their teacher Ms. Ribble. After a second mishap with the Hypno-Ring, it convinced her that she is Wedgie Woman. at first, she has no superpowers, but after her hairstyle gets splattered with superpower juice from the third book her hair transforms into arms and she gains super-intelligence.
* Robo-George and The Harold 2000 – Two giant robots built by Wedgie Woman based on George and Harold. They were fully obedient to Wedgie Woman; each had a vast arsenal of powerful weapons and gadgets and were programmed to destroy Captain Underpants once they heard him say "Tra-la-laaa!"
* The Bionic Booger Boy (Melvin Sneedly) – A fusion of Melvin Sneedly, boogers, and a super-powered robot. His growth is triggered by a field trip to a tissue factory.
* Carl, Trixie and Frankenbooger (The Three Robo-Boogers) – Boogers who all come from the Bionic Booger Boy. They all share a weakness to oranges, which Captain Underpants successfully used to destroy the rampaging trio of living mucus. Carl had the Bionic Booger Boy's legs, Trixie had the tentacles, and Frankenbooger had the arms. Whenever they eat, they become bigger and more evil.
* Evil George and Evil Harold – Alternative versions and negative counterparts of George and Harold from an alternate dimension who are both intelligent and evil. They helped Captain Blunderpants and unlike the sketchy, amateurish George and Harold they are good authors and illustrators (ironically, the main George and Harold consider the alternative George and Harold's work inferior). Additionally, they also tended to change the signs into evil phrases (while their counterparts often change the signs into funny words).
* Captain Blunderpants – The opposite and evil counterpart of Captain Underpants from an alternate dimension, who has a toupee and looks and acts more like Krupp, while the alternate Krupp is nice. Also, his transformation is the opposite; when water is splashed on him, he becomes the evil Captain Blunderpants and when someone snaps their fingers, he becomes the nice Mr. Krupp.
* Kipper Krupp – A sixth-grade bully and Benjamin's nephew and Jasper Krupp's son, who would bully George, Harold, and other children when they were all in kindergarten. Due to a series of pranks that George and Harold conducted, he would eventually become nicer to the children along with his also mischievous friends Finkstein, Bugg, and Loogie.
* Sir Stinks-A-Lot (Mr. Meaner) – Mr. Meaner later becomes the alter ego of Sir Stinks-A-Lot, an evil hypnotist. While in prison, Meaner transforms into a blob of pure energy after eating an egg salad sandwich. He later removes an alternative version of Captain Underpants's superpowers and the effects of the Hypno ring, erasing him from existence entirely and giving himself, Old George and Old Harold all of Captain Underpants's superpowers and the effects of the 3D Hypno-Ring.
Novels
The main series of novels has developed a pattern of alliteration from the fourth book on—except for the third book, whose "annoyingly long" title becomes a running joke in future 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.
''Captain Underpants'' novels
# ''
The Adventures of Captain Underpants'' (1997)
# ''
Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets
''Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets'' is an American children's book (taking the form of a novel) by Dav Pilkey, and the second book in the ''Captain Underpants'' book series. It was published on February 1, 1999. It marks ...
'' (1999)
# ''
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)'' (1999)
# ''
'' (2000)
# ''
Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman
''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, ...
'' (2001)
# ''
Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets'' (2003)
# ''
Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers'' (2003)
# ''
'' (2006)
# ''
Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers'' (2012)
# ''
'' (2013)
# ''
'' (2014)
# ''
Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot'' (2015)
''Captain Underpants'' activity books
# ''
The Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book o' Fun
''Captain Underpants'' is an illustrated children's 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, a ...
'' (2001)
# ''
The All-New Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book o' Fun 2
''Captain Underpants'' is an illustrated Children's literature, children's novel series by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. The series revolves around two fourth-grade, fourth graders, George Beard (fictional character), George Bea ...
'' (2002)
# ''The Captain Underpants Super Silly Sticker Studio'' (2005)
''Captain Underpants'' spin-offs
# ''
The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby
''The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby'' is an American children's novel by Dav Pilkey (credited as "George Beard and Harold Hutchins"), categorized as part of the author's ''Captain Underpants'' series of books as a spin-off to the series. It was ...
'' (2002)
# ''
The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future'' (2010) (out of print as of March 2021)
# ''
Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers'' (2011)
''Dog Man'' novels
# ''Dog Man'' (2016)
# ''Dog Man Unleashed'' (2016)
# ''Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties'' (2017)
# ''Dog Man and Cat Kid'' (2017)
# ''Dog Man: Lord Of the Fleas'' (2018)
# ''Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild'' (2018)
# ''Dog Man: For Whom The Ball Rolls'' (2019)
# ''Dog Man: Fetch-22'' (2019)
# ''Dog Man: Grime and Punishment'' (2020)
# ''Dog Man: Mothering Heights'' (2021)
# ''Dog Man: 22 Thousand Fleas Under The Sea'' (2023)
''Captain Underpants'' collectors' editions
# ''
The Adventures of Captain Underpants: Collectors' Edition'' (2001)
# ''
Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets
''Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets'' is an American children's book (taking the form of a novel) by Dav Pilkey, and the second book in the ''Captain Underpants'' book series. It was published on February 1, 1999. It marks ...
: Collectors' Edition'' (2007)
# ''
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): Collectors' Edition'' (2008)
''Captain Underpants'' collections
* ''The Tra-La-La Riffic Captain Underpants Collection/The First Captain Underpants Collection'' (Books 1–4; 1997–2000)
* ''Three More Wedgie-Powered Adventures in One'' (Books 4-6; 2006)
* ''The Second Captain Underpants Collection/The Tra-La-Larious Captain Underpants'' (Books 5–7 & ''Super Diaper Baby''; 2001–2003)
* ''Captain Underpants: Three Pantastic Novels in One'' (Books 1–3; 1997–99)
* ''The New Captain Underpants Collection'' (Books 1–5; 1997–2000)
* ''The Tra-La-La Tremendous Captain Underpants Collection'' (Books 5–8; 2001–2006)
* ''The Complete Captain Underpants Collection'' (Books 1–8; 1997–2006)
* ''The Captain Underpants Collectors' Edition Collection'' (Books 1–3 + 3 CD-ROMs; 1997–1999, 2005–2008)''
''Captain Underpants in Full Color''
* ''
The Adventures of Captain Underpants'' (2013)
* ''
Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets
''Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets'' is an American children's book (taking the form of a novel) by Dav Pilkey, and the second book in the ''Captain Underpants'' book series. It was published on February 1, 1999. It marks ...
'' (2014)
* ''
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)'' (2014)
* ''
'' (2015)
* ''
Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman
''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, ...
'' (2017)
* ''
Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets'' (2018)
*''
Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy Part 2: the Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers'' (2018)
*''
'' (2019)
*''
Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers'' (2019)
*''
'' (2020)
*''
'' (2021)
*''
Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot'' (2022)
*
Potentially cancelled books
These books were reported "coming soon-ish" at the end of the books ''Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People'', ''The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future'', and ''Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers''. No further information or cancellation has been released since their tease.
* ''The Captain Underpants Cartoon-O-Rama Book Heroes, Villains, and Supercreeps''
* ''FrankenFart vs. The Bionic Barf Bunnies from Diarrhea Land'' (made appearances in Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People and Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives)
* ''The Adventures of Ook and Gluk Jr: Kung-Fu Cavekids in Outer Space'' (most likely completely cancelled due to the discontinuation of the first Ook and Gluk book)
* ''Captain Underpants Proudly Presents F.A.R.T.S. The Major Motion Picture''
Controversy
Book bans
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), as well as between 2010 and 2019. 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).
The Captain Underpants series was explicitly banned in some schools for “insensitivity, offensive language, encouraging disruptive behavior, LGBTQ+ issues, violence, being unsuited to the age group, sexually explicit content, anti-family content, as well as encouraging children to disobey authority.”
The
American Library Association stated in a release by the
National Coalition Against Censorship
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), founded in 1974, is an alliance of 50 American non-profit organizations, including literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups. NCAC is a New York-bas ...
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."
Depictions of homosexuality
In October 2015, the 12th book received controversy due to a reference to adult Harold being gay.
Removal of ''The Adventures of Ook and Gluk'' from publication
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 unintentional and passive stereotypes, which Pilkey stated to be "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.
Hiatus
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.
[
] 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. 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.
Other media
Film adaptation
CGI-animated film
On October 20, 2011, it was reported that
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
had acquired rights to make an animated feature film based on the ''Captain Underpants'' series. On October 25, 2013, it was reported that
Rob Letterman
Robert Thomas Letterman (born October 31, 1970) is an American film director and screenwriter.
Letterman made his directorial debut as co-director of the animated comedy film ''Shark Tale'' (2004), for which he received a nomination for the Annie ...
would direct the film, while
Nicholas Stoller would write the script.
It would have been the second film to have Letterman and Stoller working together, the first being ''
Gulliver's Travels
''Gulliver's Travels'', or ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'' is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan ...
''. On January 21, 2014, the cast was announced, with
Ed Helms
Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sitcom ''The Offic ...
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
Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his film and television work in the comedy and horror genres. Peele's breakout role came in 2003, when he was hired as a cast membe ...
as Melvin, the nerdy nemesis of George and Harold.
On June 12, 2014, the film was scheduled for release on January 13, 2017. 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. It would be instead animated at Mikros Image in Montreal, Canada, and it would look differently than most of DWA's films. A month later, ''
Deadline'' reported that Letterman had left the project, and that
David Soren, the director of ''
Turbo
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
'', was in talks to direct the film,
but Letterman returned to the project and served as an executive producer with Dav Pilkey. The film was expected to be released on March 10, 2017,
but in September 2015, DreamWorks Animation's ''
The Boss Baby'' took over its date.
The film was released on June 2, 2017.
Television series
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. Defunct animation studio
Soup2Nuts also attempted to produce an animated series based on the books in the early 2000s.
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
produced a television series based on the film that was streamed to
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
. It was released on July 13, 2018.
Especial Interactive
In 2020, an interactive especial called ''Captain Underpants Epic Choice-o-Rama'' was released on Netflix. The especial involves Harold and George stopping Mr. Krupp from blowing up their beloved treehouse.
Reception
Censors in the United States have been targeting the ''Captain Underpants'' series after the first book was released in 1997.
[Roake, Jessica.]
One Nation, Underpants
" (also "Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants books: Why kids love them, and parents should make peace with them.") ''Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
''. September 7, 2012. Retrieved on October 25, 2013. 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. Several parents accused the book of having language inappropriate for the book's target audience, children enrolled in elementary schools.
Jessica Roake, in an article published in ''
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'', 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."
[
The series has frequently been compared with the '']Horace Splattly
''Horace Splattly'' is a series of six children's books written by Lawrence David and illustrated by Barry Gott, published between 2002 and 2004 by Puffin Books. The eponymous Horace Splattly becomes the superhero The Cupcaked Crusader whenever he ...
'' series,[School Library journal review #1 of "Horace Splattly: The Cupcaked Crusader"](_blank)
/ref>[School Library Journal review #2 of "Horace Splattly: The Cupcaked Crusader", archived at Amazon.com](_blank)
/ref>[School Library Journal review of "When Second Graders Attack", archived at Amazon.com](_blank)
/ref>
/ref>[ ttp://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-miscellaneous/4798280-1.html Kirkus review of "Horace Splattly: The Cupcaked Crusader", archived at AllBusiness.com/ref> but not always positively.][School Library Journal review of "The Terror of the Pink Dodo Balloons", archived at Amazon.com](_blank)
/ref>
International publishing
* Brazil: Cosac Naify
Cosac Naify () was a Brazilian publishing house which operated from 1996 to 2015. Founded by Charles Cosac and Michael Naify, the publisher became known about their luxury designed art, humanities, novels and children's books; Charles Cosac descr ...
(published all 12 volumes before closing its activities in 2015) , Companhia das Letras (re-releases; 2017–present)
* Canada, Argentina, Mexico, UK, Ireland, Hong Kong, India, Australia, New Zealand: Scholastic
* Catalan: Editorial Cruilla
* China: Nanhai Publishing Company
* Hong Kong: Thinkingdom/New Buds
* Taiwan: Commonwealth, Thinkingdom
* Croatia: Mozaik Knjiga
* Czech Republic: Egmont, Baronet
* Denmark: Forlaget Sesam, Carlsen
* Finland: Tammi
* France: Le Petit Musc (books 1–4; first translation); Bayard Presse (books 1–6)
* Germany, Austria: Ueberreuter
Ueberreuter (full: german: der Verlag Carl Ueberreuter) is an Austrian publishing house. Founded as ''Verlag Carl Ueberreuter'' in 1946 by Thomas F. Salzer (de), today the company is Austria's biggest publisher of non-fiction literature.
Ueberr ...
(books 1–5; first translation); Panini (books 1–12)
* Greece: Modern Times, Psichogios Publications
Psichogios Publications is a Greek publishing company known for publishing fiction books for children and adults, mainly in Greece and Cyprus. Distribution is mostly via bookstores, by mail order, and through book fairs. The company also publishes ...
* Hungary: Ulpius-Haz
* Iceland: JPV Forlag (''Captain Underpants''); Bókafélagið (''Dog-Man'')
* Indonesia: Kompas Gramedia Group
* Israel: Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir
Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir is one of Israel's largest book publishing companies.
History
The company's oldest imprint, Dvir, was founded in Odessa in 1919 by Hayim Nahman Bialik.
* Italy: Edizioni Piemme
Edizioni Piemme, formerly Edizioni Piemme S.p.A. is an Italian book publisher with specialisms in religion, and in fiction for children and young adults. It is a division of Mondadori Libri S.p.A. of Mondadori group and formerly incorporated as ...
(''Captain Underpants''), Salani (''Super Diaper Baby'')
* Japan: Tokuma Shoten
is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, m ...
** is the Japanese translator of the book series.[木坂涼さんのまき]
."
Tokuma Shoten
is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, m ...
. Retrieved on December 5, 2013.
* Korea: Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. () is a South Korean publishing company headquartered in Seoul. It was established in 1979. Over the years it has published a number of best-selling original works, including the ''manhwa'' series ''The warrior who did no ...
* Latvia: Zvaigzne ABC
* Lithuanian: Alma littera
Alma or ALMA may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film
* ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922
* ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017
* ''Alma'' (play), a 1996 drama by Joshua Sobol about Alma ...
* Norway: Cappelen Damm
Cappelen Damm AS is a Norwegian publisher established in 2007. The present company resulted from the merger of J.W. Cappelens Forlag, founded in 1829, and N.W. Damm & Søn, founded in 1843. Cappelen Damm is jointly owned by the Bonnier Group
...
(1st and 2nd books; first translation); Schibsted Forlag (1st to 8th book), Vigmostad & Bjørke (from 9th book).
* Poland: Egmont, Jaguar
* Portugal: Gradiva (''Captain Underpants''); Marcador (''Dog-Man'')
* Romania: Editura National; Art Grup Editorial
* Russia: Machiny Tvoreniya Publishing
* Slovenia: Založba Mladinska Knjiga
* Spain: Ediciones SM
Grupo SM is a Spanish publisher with a strong presence in Latin America. It specializes in publishing educational material, fiction for children and teenagers, and religious literature (under the PPC seal). The group has a catalog of more than 90 ...
* Sweden: Egmont Richters (books 1–6; first translation); Bonnier Carlsen (books 1–12)
* Thailand: Pearl Publishing
* Turkey: A.I. Iletisim/Altin Kitaplar
* Ukraine: Krajina Mriy (Країна Мрій)
* United Kingdom: Scholastic, TedSmart
* Vietnam: Nha Nam Publishing
References
External links
Captain Underpants
at Scholastic
Captain Underpants
{{DreamWorks Animation
Works by Dav Pilkey
Series of children's books
Novels set in Ohio
Novel series
DreamWorks Classics
Obscenity controversies in literature
Fiction about hypnosis
American novels adapted into films
American novels adapted into television shows