Books On Board
series Reading Order

Captain Underpants Books in Order

12 Books
1997 – 2015 Published
Jump to reading order
Affiliate links: We may earn a commission on purchases made at no extra cost to you.
Reading order

The Recommended Reading Path

For the best experience, we recommend reading the core Captain Underpants series in publication order. While the early books are largely standalone monster-of-the-week style stories, the later books (specifically Books 8 through 12) form a continuous narrative with time travel, character doubles, and persistent cliffhangers that must be read in sequence.

The Core Captain Underpants Series

Follow George and Harold's main adventures with Principal Krupp in this exact order:

  1. The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997)
  2. Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets (1999)
  3. Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (1999)
  4. Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants (2000)
  5. Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman (2001)
  6. Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets (2003)
  7. Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers (2003)
  8. Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People (2006)
  9. Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers (2012)
  10. Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers (2013)
  11. Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 (2014)
  12. Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot (2015)

The In-Universe Spin-offs and Companions

George and Harold are cartoonists who create their own comic books inside the story. These fictional creations have been published as real-world spin-offs. You can read them anytime, but reading them in their publication slots offers the most fun context:

  • The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby (2002) - Read after Book 5.
  • The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future (2010) - Read after Book 8.
  • Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers (2011) - Read before Book 9.
  • Dog Man Series (2016-present) - Read after finishing the main series.
  • Cat Kid Comic Club Series (2020-present) - Read alongside or after Dog Man.

The Crunchy Companion Books

Dav Pilkey also released activity-oriented companion books containing original comic strips and trivia. The most notable are:

  • The Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book o' Fun (2001)
  • The All New Extra-Crunchy History of Captain Underpants (2002)
  • The Captain Underpants Double-Crunchy Book o' Fun (2007)

Timeline and Chronological Caveats

Things get wild starting with Book 8. The story ends with a cliffhanger that leads directly into the time-traveling antics of Book 9, which actually takes George and Harold back to their kindergarten days. The narrative loop continues through to Book 12, introducing alternate timeline versions of the characters ("Yesterday George" and "Yesterday Harold"). Because of these temporal loops, do not skip around or read these final five books out of order.

Frequently Asked

QWhere should I start reading Captain Underpants?

You should start with the first book, The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997), to learn how George and Harold first hypnotized Principal Krupp.

QDo I need to read the Captain Underpants books in order?

For the first seven books, order is less critical, but you must read Books 8 through 12 in order. They form a single, continuous time-travel storyline with major cliffhangers.

QIs Dog Man a spin-off of Captain Underpants?

Yes. In the lore, Dog Man is a comic book created by George and Harold when they were in elementary school, making it a direct spin-off series.

QWhere does Super Diaper Baby fit into the reading order?

You should read The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby after Book 5, and its sequel after Book 8. They are comic books written by George and Harold in-universe.

QIs there a Super Diaper Baby 3?

No. There is no official Super Diaper Baby 3. However, a short comic strip titled Super Diaper Baby 2½ is included inside Captain Underpants Book 11.

QWhat is the order of the time-travel books?

The time-travel saga runs continuously from Book 8 (Purple Potty People), through Book 9 (Tippy Tinkletrousers), Book 10 (Radioactive Robo-Boxers), Book 11 (Turbo Toilet 2000), and concludes in Book 12 (Sir Stinks-A-Lot).