Captain Underpants facts for kids
The Captain Underpants series is a collection of funny illustrated books for kids, written and drawn by Dav Pilkey. The stories are all about two best friends, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, who are in fourth grade. They live in Piqua, Ohio.
Their adventures begin when they accidentally hypnotize their mean principal, Mr. Krupp. He turns into Captain Underpants, a silly superhero from their own homemade comic books! Captain Underpants only wears briefs and a cape. From the third book on, Mr. Krupp also gets real superpowers like super strength and flying after drinking some special "Super Power Juice."
There are 12 main books in the series, plus activity books and spin-offs. The series has sold over 80 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 20 languages. It even won a Kids' Choice Award in 2006!
The books were so popular that DreamWorks Animation made an animated movie, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, which came out in 2017. Later, a TV show called The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants was released on Netflix from 2018 to 2020.
After the main series finished in 2015, a new spin-off series called Dog Man started in 2016. It has 13 books so far, and a Dog Man movie was released in 2025.
The Awesome Books
The Captain Underpants books are known for their funny titles and exciting stories. From the fourth book onwards, the titles often use words that start with the same sound, like "Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants." Books 6 through 12 tell one big, continuous story, with each book ending on a cliffhanger (a suspenseful moment) that makes you want to read the next one right away!
Main Series Novels
- The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997)
- Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets (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)
- Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants (2000)
- Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman (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)
- Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People (2006)
- Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers (2012)
- Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers (2013)
- Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 (2014)
- Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot (2015)
Fun Activity Books
- The Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book o' Fun (2001)
- The All-New Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book o' Fun 2 (2002)
- The Captain Underpants Super Silly Sticker Studio (2005)
Cool Spin-off Series
- The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby (2002)
- The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future (2010)
- Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers (2011)
Dog Man Adventures
Dog Man is a hilarious graphic novel series also created by Dav Pilkey. It started after the Captain Underpants series ended. The main hero is Dog Man, who has the body of a police officer and the head of a dog! There are 13 books in this series so far.
The Dog Man books are very popular. In 2020, ten Dog Man books (including one Cat Kid Comic Club book) sold over 3.8 million copies! A video game called Dog Man: Mission Impawsible was released in 2024, and an animated movie came out in 2025.
Here are the Dog Man books:
- 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: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea (2023)
- Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder (2024)
- Dog Man: Big Jim Begins (2024)
- Dog Man: Big Jim Believes (to be released in 2025)
The Dog Man series also has its own spin-off called Cat Kid Comic Club, which teaches about making comics. There are five books in this series:
- Cat Kid Comic Club (2020)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives (2021)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose (2022)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations (2022)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: Influencers (2023)
Captain Underpants in Full Color
Many of the original Captain Underpants books have been re-released in full color!
- The Adventures of Captain Underpants (2013)
- Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets (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)
- Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants (2015)
- Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman (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)
- Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People (2019)
- Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers (2019)
- Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers (2020)
- Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 (2021)
- Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot (2022)
Who Are the Characters?
The Captain Underpants series has many memorable characters, from the main heroes to the wacky villains and teachers.
Main Heroes and Villains
- George Beard and Harold Hutchins – These two fourth graders are best friends and the main characters. They love to play pranks and create their own comic books. They often get into trouble with their principal, Mr. Krupp. After some time travel fun, there are also "Yesterday George" and "Yesterday Harold" who are older versions of themselves.
- Mr. Benjamin "Benny" Krupp – He is the mean and grumpy principal of Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. He really dislikes kids and their fun. When he was young, a bad experience made him vow to make all kids feel as bad as he did. His name is a funny play on words, sounding like "corrupt" or "bankrupt."
- Captain Underpants – This is Mr. Krupp's secret superhero identity! When someone snaps their fingers, Mr. Krupp turns into Captain Underpants. He only wears briefs and a red cape. He's super friendly, especially to kids, and sees George and Harold as his sidekicks. If he gets wet, he turns back into Mr. Krupp. He gains superpowers like super strength and flying in the third book.
- Melvin Richard Sneedly – Melvin is George and Harold's nerdy rival. He's a super smart inventor but also a bit of a tattletale. His parents are scientists, and he's often shown to be very focused on studies, sometimes without a sense of humor. He even becomes a superhero called "Big Melvin" in one of the later books!
- Sulu and Crackers – These are George and Harold's special pets. Sulu is a bionic hamster that used to belong to Melvin. Crackers is a Quetzalcoatlus (a type of flying dinosaur) that the boys brought back from the past using a time machine. Sulu and Crackers even have three children together named Tony, Orlando, and Dawn!
Other Important Characters
- Mr. Kenny Brian Meaner – He's the school's gym teacher, and just like Mr. Krupp, he's often grumpy and yells a lot. His name sounds like "can he be meaner." In the last book, he becomes a villain called Sir Stinks-A-Lot.
- Miss Edith Anthrope – The school secretary, usually in a bad mood. Her name sounds like "misanthrope," which means someone who dislikes people.
- Mr. Morty Fyde – The science teacher who is a bit dorky and easily confused. The crazy events in the books sometimes make him think he's going crazy! His name sounds like "mystified" or "mortified."
- Ms. Tara Ribble – George and Harold's fourth-grade teacher. In one book, she gets hypnotized and becomes the villain, Wedgie Woman! Her name sounds like "terrible."
- Tippy Tinkletrousers (formerly Professor Pippy Pee-Pee Poopypants) – A super smart scientist from a country where everyone has silly names. He tries to make everyone on Earth change their names to silly ones. After being defeated, he changes his own name to Tippy Tinkletrousers.
- Doctor Diaper – A mad scientist who wears a diaper and is the first villain Captain Underpants ever fought.
- The Talking Toilets and The Turbo Toilet 2000 – These are living toilets that George and Harold accidentally create. The Turbo Toilet 2000 is a giant, powerful toilet that causes a lot of trouble!
- Zorx, Klax, and Jennifer – Three aliens who try to invade Earth by disguising themselves as cafeteria ladies and turning students into "Zombie Nerds."
- The Bionic Booger Boy – This gross villain is a mix of Melvin Sneedly, boogers, and a robot!
- Evil George and Evil Harold – These are mean, smart versions of George and Harold from another dimension. They are villains who team up with Captain Blunderpants.
- Captain Blunderpants – The evil version of Captain Underpants from another dimension. He acts more like the grumpy Mr. Krupp, and his powers work in reverse!
- Kipper Krupp – Mr. Krupp's nephew and a bully who used to pick on George and Harold.
Other Media
The Captain Underpants stories have jumped off the pages and onto screens!
Animated Films
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
In 2011, DreamWorks Animation decided to make a movie based on the Captain Underpants books. The film, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, was released on June 2, 2017. It features famous voices like Ed Helms as Mr. Krupp/Captain Underpants, Kevin Hart as George, Thomas Middleditch as Harold, Nick Kroll as Professor Poopypants, and Jordan Peele as Melvin.
Dog Man Film
Because the Dog Man series is so popular, DreamWorks Animation also decided to make a movie about it! The Dog Man animated film was released on January 31, 2025.
Television Series
DreamWorks Animation Television created a TV series based on the film, which you can watch on Netflix. It's called The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants and started streaming on July 13, 2018.
Interactive Special
In 2020, an interactive special called Captain Underpants Epic Choice-o-Rama was released on Netflix. In this special, you get to make choices for Harold and George as they try to stop Mr. Krupp from destroying their beloved treehouse!
