The Adventures of Captain Underpants
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|
 Fourth edition cover | |
| Author | Dav Pilkey |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Dav Pilkey |
| Language | English |
| Series | Captain Underpants series |
| Genre | Children's novel, Humor |
| Publisher | Blue Sky (US), Scholastic (US) |
Publication date | September 1, 1997 (black and white), August 27, 2013 (color edition) |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Paperback, Hardcover) |
| Pages | 125 |
| ISBN | 978-0-590-84628-8 0-590-84628-0 |
| Followed by | Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets |
The Adventures of Captain Underpants is an American children's novel by Dav Pilkey, the first novel in the Captain Underpants series. It was published on September 1, 1997, and became a hit with children ages 6–8 (mainly boys) across America.
Plot summary
One day, fourth graders George and Harold pull a series of practical jokes at the school's football game, which causes the school to forfeit it. The next day, their principal Mr. Krupp reveals that he now has a videotape of them preparing their pranks. Mr. Krupp blackmails George and Harold: unless they obey him, he will give the tape to the football team. The boys wake up at 6 AM everyday to do extranious work for Mr. Krupp, not smile at all during school time and do extra homework. In order to escape this, George orders a "3-D Hypno-Ring", which they receive after 4–6 weeks of grueling labor. Purposefully arriving late the next day, the boys hypnotize Mr. Krupp and Harold replaces the video with one of his little sister's "Boomer the Purple Dragon" sing-along videos.
The two begin making Mr. Krupp act like a chicken and a monkey, then finally into Captain Underpants. However, Mr. Krupp jumps out the window to fight crime and the boys grab some supplies. "Captain Underpants" eventually confronts two bank robbers at Frank's bank, who fall in hysterics. The police begin to arrest Captain Underpants too, before the boys whisk Captain Underpants away. Before they can change their principal back, the trio witnesses two robots stealing a large crystal and Captain Underpants' cape gets caught on their van, dragging him (and the boys) to an old, abandoned warehouse. There, the trio meet the evil Dr. Diaper, who plans to transform it to blow up the Moon, destroying every major city on Earth, so that he can take over the planet. George and Harold escape and hide, but Captain Underpants is tied up.
George slingshots fake doggy doo-doo between Dr. Diaper's feet and he departs to change, while the boys destroy the robots and free Captain Underpants. Harold pulls the machine's self-destruct lever, thinking it's an "off" switch. Dr. Diaper returns and, enraged, aims his Diaper-Matic 2000 ray gun, but only that before Captain Underpants shoots underwear at Dr. Diaper's face. The four manage to escape the warehouse before it explodes and the doctor's tied outside the police station. The three return to the school, but they've lost the ring's manual. In desperation, George dumps a vase of water on Mr. Krupp's head and the principal resolves to give the video to the football team. George finds the manual, but throws it away, but it warns of entering into and getting out of the ring's trance. Meanwhile, the Knuckleheads love the video and decide to rename themselves the Purple Dragon Sing-a-Long Friends. George and Harold resume their comic book making and prank-playing. However, they have to keep an eye on Mr. Krupp, because for an unknown reason (obviously due to the warning on the back of the manual ordering ring users not to drench a hypnotized person over the head with water, or it will turn them back and forth from trance to reality if they hear fingers snapping), Mr. Krupp turns back into Captain Underpants every time someone snaps their fingers around him.
Comic: The Adventures of Captain Underpants
Bad guys are taking over the world, while the superheroes are too old to fight them. At a nearby school, the cafeteria serves "Stinky Taco Surprise", which the children throw away. The wasted food comes to life as the Inedible Hunk, which causes chaos in the school, including hurting the gym teacher. Captain Underpants rapidly shoots underwear at the monster, but the Hunk eats them, then chases him to the bathroom, by then it's too tired. The Captain suggests the monster take a drink, then flushes the monster down the drain.
Characters
Major
- George R. Beard: one of the main protagonists and a 4th grader at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. Harold's best friend.
- Harold M. Hutchins: one of the main protagonists and a 4th grader at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. George's best friend.
- Mr. Benjamin Krupp: Jerome Horwitz Elementary School's cruel principal who hates George and Harold.
- The Amazing Captain Underpants: A superhero from George and Harold's comics, George and Harold accidentally hypnotize Mr. Krupp into thinking he's Captain Underpants.
- Dr. Diaper (Dr. Nappy in the UK): The short and somewhat babyish main antagonist who attempts to take over the world by destroying the moon.
Minor
- The Horwitz Knuckleheads: the school's football team. After watching the "Boomer the Purple Dragon Singalong Video" that Harold replaced the prank footage with, they change their name to the Purple Dragon Sing-A-Long Friends.
- Robots-The secondary antagonists and Dr. Diaper's henchmen.
- The Inedible Hunk (from the comics): The antagonist of the Captain Underpants comic. A monster formed from the cafeteria food.
- Cheerleaders: The school cheerleaders. George and Harold put black pepper in their pom-poms, which causes them to have a sneezing fit at the school's football game.
- The Band: The school's marching band. George and Harold fill up their instruments with bubble bath in one of their pranks.
- Mr. Meaner: The coach of the Knuckleheads.
- Ms. Ribble: George and Harold's fourth grade teacher.
- Bank Robbers: Two bank robbers whom Captain Underpants tries to apprehend.
- Prank Monkey: Played by Doug Kroes - favorite prank was to edit web pages and pass them off as legitimate. Favorite target was the Mellon Man.
- Professor Skid Check: The young boy who is responsible for checking Captain Underpants' underpanties to make sure there are no skid marks. Played by Bryan Greisch.
Mentioned
- Heidi Hutchins Kaur- Harold's youngest sister. Harold replaces Mr. Krupp's footage with one of her "Boomer the Purple Dragon Singalong Videos".
Name change
The first printings of the book have "An Epic Novel by Dav Pilkey" instead of "The First Epic Novel by Dav Pilkey"