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Captain Underpants is an American illustrated children's novel series and multimedia franchise created by 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.

As of 2026, the series includes 12 main novels, two activity books, colored versions, and 15 spin-offs. The series has been translated into more than 37 languages, with more than 90 million books sold worldwide, including over 50 million in the United States.

In 2015, the original novel series concluded with a twelfth book, Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot. The finale was followed by a spin-off series titled Dog Man, released the following year in 2016.

Since its debut in 1997, Captain Underpants has been among the most frequently challenged books in American schools and libraries, as educators hold varied opinions regarding the series. Despite the controversy, the series has continued to have success, and released a manga adaptation in July of 2025.

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, followed by a television series, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, which aired on Netflix from July 13, 2018, to December 4, 2020.