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Captain Underpants

by Dav Pilkey

The Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey has 12 known books (12 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot.

Books
12 known books (12 novels)
Published
12
First published
1997
Status
completed
Shelved under
Humour
Last checked

Start here: The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of The Adventures of Captain Underpants

The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. The Adventures of Captain Underpants

    Novel

    The Adventures of Captain Underpants opens the Captain Underpants series, first published in 1997. It is followed by Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets.

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  2. Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets

    Novel

    Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets, published in 1999, pits the accidentally-real superhero against the second of the series' increasingly absurd villains -- an army of possessed talking toilets terrorizing the school. It runs 136 pages, continuing George and Harold's comics-within-the-book 'Flip-O-Rama' fight scenes.

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  3. Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space

    Novel

    Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space, published later in 1999, sends the alien cafeteria ladies -- one of the series' signature absurd villains -- up against Captain Underpants, George and Harold's hypnotized principal turned reluctant hero. It runs 134 pages.

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  4. Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants

    Novel

    Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants, published in 2000 at 152 pages, pits the accidentally-real Captain Underpants against a mad-scientist villain whose absurd name sets the tone for Dav Pilkey's proudly juvenile humor, drawn out across George and Harold's kid-scrawl Flip-O-Rama fight scenes.

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  5. Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman

    Novel

    Book 5 of the Captain Underpants series, Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman appeared in 2001 at 176 pages, continuing the pattern Dav Pilkey set from the start: an increasingly absurd villain, George and Harold's comics-within-the-book Flip-O-Rama scenes, and the accidentally-real Captain Underpants caught in the middle.

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  6. Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets

    Novel

    Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets arrived two years after Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman, opening the two-part Bionic Booger Boy story that Dav Pilkey intended readers to continue straight into Part 2. It runs 175 pages.

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  7. Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers

    Novel

    Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers completes the two-part story Pilkey began with Part 1 just two months earlier in 2003, and precedes Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People in the series. It runs 176 pages.

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  8. Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People

    Novel

    Written by Dav Pilkey, Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People appeared in 2006 -- a three-year gap after the Bionic Booger Boy duology -- continuing the series' pattern of absurd villains and George and Harold's Flip-O-Rama comics-within-the-book. It runs 176 pages.

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  9. Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers

    Novel

    Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers is the ninth novel in the Captain Underpants series, published in 2012 -- a six-year gap after Purple Potty People, the longest gap between any two entries -- continuing the escalating cycle of absurd villains that defines the series.

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  10. Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers

    Novel

    Coming after Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers and before Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000, Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers was published in 2013 at 224 pages, one of the longer entries in the twelve-book series.

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  11. Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000

    Novel

    Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 sits between Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers and the series finale, Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot, arriving in 2014 at 223 pages and continuing the escalating, self-contained villain-of-the-book format Dav Pilkey built the series around.

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  12. Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot

    Novel

    Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot closed out the twelve-book main series in 2015, following Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 with one more absurd villain for George, Harold and their accidentally-real superhero to face. It runs 208 pages.

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About the Captain Underpants series

Fourth-graders George Beard and Harold Hutchins are the class prankster duo and comic-book creators of their own hero, Captain Underpants -- so when they hypnotize their tyrannical principal, Mr. Krupp, into actually believing he is Captain Underpants, chaos (and a very literal superhero in tighty-whities) is unleashed on their school. Each book pits the accidentally-real Captain Underpants against an increasingly absurd villain -- alien cafeteria ladies, a mutant plant-fertilizer monster, a time-traveling toilet army -- with George and Harold's comics-within-the-book (drawn in their own kid-scrawl "Flip-O-Rama" style) acting out the wildest fight scenes.

Dav Pilkey wrote the series in part from his own experience as a kid labeled disruptive and learning-disabled, and it shows: the humor is proudly, unapologetically juvenile (bathroom jokes are a design feature, not a bug), the reading level is forgiving, and the message underneath the mayhem is that funny, restless kids are not the problem the adults around them think they are. It became one of the most challenged book series in American libraries for its irreverence toward authority -- and one of the most beloved for exactly the same reason.

Captain Underpants was Pilkey's breakout hit before he moved on to Dog Man, and it remains a reliable favorite for turning reluctant young readers into eager ones.

Frequently asked questions

How many Captain Underpants books are there?

There are 12 books in the main series, published between 1997 and 2015. The Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy counts as one story told across two parts.

What order should I read Captain Underpants in?

Publication order, starting with The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997). Keep the two Bionic Booger Boy parts together and in sequence.

Is Captain Underpants finished?

Yes. The main series concluded with Sir Stinks-A-Lot in 2015; Dav Pilkey has since focused on Dog Man, which features the same two boy creators.

Do I need to read the Super Diaper Baby or Ook and Gluk spin-offs?

No, they're optional side comics credited to George and Harold, not required for the main story.

Is Captain Underpants connected to Dog Man?

Yes, both are presented as comics created by the same characters, George and Harold, though each series can be read independently.

Reading order last verified .