Dav Pilkey

Dav Pilkey
Pilkey at a book event in 2018
Born	David Murray Pilkey Jr. (1966-03-04) March 4, 1966 (age 58) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Pen name	Dav Pilkey George Beard Harold Hutchins Sue Denim
Occupation	Author illustrator cartoonist
Genre	Children's literature, comedy.
Years active	1987–present
Notable works	Dragon series Captain Underpants series Dog Man series Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot series Dumb Bunnies series
Spouse	Sayuri Pilkey ​ (m. 2005)​
Signature
Website
pilkey.com

David Murray "Dav" Pilkey Jr. (/ˈdeɪv/; born March 4, 1966)^[1] is an American cartoonist, author, and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known as the author and illustrator of the children's book series, Captain Underpants, and its spin-off children's graphic novel series Dog Man, the latter published under the respective writer and illustrator pen names of George Beard and Harold Hutchins, which are also the names of the two protagonists of the Captain Underpants series.

Life and career

Pilkey in 2019

Pilkey was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 4, 1966, to the Reverend David Pilkey, Sr. and Barbara, who was the church organist.^[2][3] He has one older sister. Pilkey was brought up in a conservative Christian household and went to Christian schools throughout his life.

Pilkey was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia as a child.^[4] In elementary school in Elyria, Ohio, Pilkey was frequently reprimanded for his behavior in class and thus usually sat at a desk in the school hallway, where he created the Captain Underpants character.^[5] In 1987, Pilkey wrote his first book, World War Won, an allegorical fable inspired by the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union, in a national competition for student authors and won in his age category. The book's publication in 1987 was included in the award.^[2]

The atypical spelling of his first name came when the "e" in "Dave" was left off his name tag while working at Pizza Hut.^[6]

Pilkey graduated from Kent State University.^[7] He married Sayuri Pilkey in 2005.^[8]

The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby was published in 2002 and was Pilkey's first full complete graphic novel. It appeared at No. 6 on the USA Today bestseller list for all books, both adult and children's, and was also a New York Times bestselling book for Children's Middle Grade. The first Super Diaper Baby graphic novel was published with Scholastic years before Scholastic created the Graphix imprint.^[9]

Pilkey took a break from writing for a few years to care for his terminally ill father (who died on November 13, 2008), but in 2009 agreed with Scholastic to publish four new books.^[10][11] The first two are graphic novels: The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen From the Future, released on August 10, 2010; and Super Diaper Baby 2: Invasion of the Potty Snatchers, released on June 28, 2011. Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers was released on August 28, 2012, Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers was released on January 15, 2013, Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 was released on August 26, 2014, and Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot was released on August 25, 2015. Additionally, twelve Dog Man novels have been published since August 30, 2016.

Pilkey and his wife live on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

On March 25, 2021, Dav Pilkey announced on his YouTube channel that he and Scholastic would cease further publication of the book The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, and would remove it from retailers and libraries due to some characters in the book being stereotypes. Pilkey stated that he intended to showcase diversity, equality, and non-violent conflict resolution. He also stated that even unintentional and passive stereotypes are harmful to everyone. Pilkey will donate his entire advance, past, and future royalties from the book to organizations promoting diversity that are designed to stop violence against Asians.^[12][13][14]

Publications

Dragon series

• Dragon Gets By (1991)
• A Friend For Dragon (1991)
• Dragon's Merry Christmas (1991)
• Dragon's Fat Cat (1992)
• Dragon's Halloween (1993)

The Dragon series was originally published with Orchard Books. Scholastic then reprinted the series in 2019. Dav Pilkey used watercolors purchased at a local grocery store to paint the illustrations in these books. The series became a stop-motion animation TV show with 78 episodes from 2004 to 2007.

Dumb Bunnies

• The Dumb Bunnies (1994)
• The Dumb Bunnies' Easter (1995)
• Make Way for Dumb Bunnies (1996)
• The Dumb Bunnies Go to the Zoo (1997)

Pilkey authored The Dumb Bunnies series using the pseudonym, Sue Denim.

Captain Underpants

Main article: Captain Underpants

• The Adventures of Captain Underpants (September 1, 1997)
• Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets (February 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) (September 1, 1999)
• Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants (July 29, 2000)
• The Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book o' Fun (2001)
• Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman (August 29, 2001)
• The All New Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book O' Fun 2 (2002)
• Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets (August 1, 2003)
• Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers (September 30, 2003)
• Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People (August 15, 2006)
• Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers (August 28, 2012)
• Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers (January 15, 2013)
• Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 (August 26, 2014)^[15]
• Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot (August 25, 2015)

Captain Underpants spin-offs

• The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby (February 5, 2002)
• The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future (August 10, 2010)
• Super Diaper Baby 2: Invasion of the Potty Snatchers (June 28, 2011)

Pilkey authored the Super Diaper Baby books and Ook and Gluk under the pseudonyms George Beard and Harold Hutchins, to be authentic to the book's theme.

Dog Man

Main article: Dog Man

Dog Man is also a spin-off of Captain Underpants.

• Dog Man (August 30, 2016)^[16]
• Dog Man: Unleashed (December 27, 2016)
• Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties (August 29, 2017)^[17]
• Dog Man and Cat Kid (December 26, 2017)
• Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas (August 28, 2018)
• Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild (December 24, 2018)
• Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls (August 13, 2019)
• Dog Man: Fetch-22 (December 10, 2019)
• Dog Man: Grime and Punishment (September 1, 2020)
• Dog Man: Mothering Heights (March 23, 2021)
• Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under The Sea (March 28, 2023)
• Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder (March 19, 2024)
• Dog Man: Big Jim Begins (December 3, 2024)

Cat Kid Comic Club

• Cat Kid Comic Club (December 1, 2020)
• Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives (November 30, 2021)
• Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose (April 12, 2022)
• Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations (November 29, 2022)
• Cat Kid Comic Club: Influencers (November 28, 2023)

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot

Main article: Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot (series)

• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot (2000)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Mutant Mosquitoes from Mercury (2000)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Voodoo Vultures from Venus (2001)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Mecha Monkeys from Mars (2002)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Jurassic Jackrabbits from Jupiter (2002)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Stupid Stinkbugs from Saturn (2003)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Uranium Unicorns from Uranus (2005)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Naughty Night Crawlers from Neptune (2016)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Un-Pleasant Penguins from Pluto (2016)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Astro-Activity Book o' Fun (2000)

Big Dog & Little Dog

• Big Dog and Little Dog Getting in Trouble (1997)
• Big Dog and Little Dog Wearing Sweaters (1998)
• Big Dog and Little Dog Making a Mistake (1999)
• The Complete Adventures of Big Dog and Little Dog (1999)

Other books

• World War Won (1987)
• Don't Pop Your Cork on Mondays (1988) Illustrator only
• 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving (1990)
• The Place Nobody Stopped (1991) Illustrator only
• Julius (1993)
• Kat Kong (1993)
• Dogzilla (1993)
• Dog Breath!: The Horrible Trouble With Hally Tosis (1994)
• The Moonglow Roll-O-Rama (1995)
• The Hallo-Wiener (1995)
• When Cats Dream (1996)
• God Bless the Gargoyles (1996)
• The Paperboy (1996)
• The Silly Gooses (1998)
• Comics Squad: Recess! (2014) contributor as author/illustrator for this anthology
• Guys Read: Terrifying Tales (2015) contributor as author/illustrator for this anthology^[18]
• One Today (2015) illustrator only^[19]

Awards

• 1986: The National Written and Illustrated by... Awards Contest for Students, ages 14–19 category, World War Won^[20]
• 1997: Caldecott Honor Award, The Paperboy^[21]
• 1998: California Young Reader Medal, Dog Breath!: The Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis, published in 1994
• 2007: Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, The Captain Underpants series
• 2016: Milner Award, The favorite children's book author, http://themilneraward.org/
• 2019: Person of the Year Award from Publishers Weekly
• 2019: Comic Industry Person of the Year

Further reading

• Interview in You Can't Say That! Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell. Candlewick Press, 2021, a young adult non-fiction book about book censorship, edited by young adult author and literary critic Leonard S. Marcus. ISBN 9780763690366

References

1. Pilkey.com Archived February 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
2. "Dav Pilkey". Ohio Authors Online. Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. 2003. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
3. "5 things you may not know about 'Captain Underpants' author Dav Pilkey". TODAY.com. June 6, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
4. "Writer Dav Pilkey says having dyslexia was a blessing". The Straits Times. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
5. Nissen, Beth (July 11, 2000). "Captain Underpants: The straight poop on a grossly entertaining series of children's books". CNN. Archived from the original on July 30, 2003. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
6. "Super Humor: Tales of an 'Under' Achiever". The Washington Post. July 3, 2002. p. C18. ProQuest 409295767.
7. "Meet Dav." Dav Pilkey Official Website. April 17, 2003. Retrieved on August 14, 2019.
8. "The Almost Completely True Adventures of Dav Pilkey." Dav Pilkey Official Website. September 3, 2012. Retrieved on August 14, 2018."The man behind "Captain Underpants"". CBS News. September 17, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2018. Dav dreams up those funny books at the home he shares with his wife, Sayuri, on a picturesque point on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The two have no children of their own.
9. Publishers Weekly September 9, 2020, "The World of Dav Pilkey: Reigning Dogs and Cats" by Sally Lodge.
10. "Planet Pilkey" (PDF). www.scholastic.com.
11. Pilkey, Dav. "Four New Books" (PDF).
12. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Dav Pilkey Apology". YouTube. March 25, 2021.
13. "Captain Underpants: Children's book withdrawn over 'passive racism'". BBC. March 3, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
14. Morales, Christina (March 28, 2021). "Scholastic Halts Distribution of Book by 'Captain Underpants' Author". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
15. ThunderX19 (January 17, 2013). "Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo-Toilet 2000 Teaser". YouTube. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
16. Schoenberg, Nara (April 16, 2015). "Captain Underpants author Dav Pilkey brings underdog message to Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 23, 2015. Pilkey says he's still doing picture books in that vein, even as he follows George and Harold, authors of the upcoming "Dog Man" on new literary adventures.
17. Bertini, Cristy (July 28, 2016). "Dav Pilkey's Super Amazing Author Adventures". The Huffington Post.
18. "Guys Read: Terrifying Tales". Harper Collins. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
19. Lodge, Sally (September 19, 2013). "Dav Pilkey to Illustrate Picture Book of Inaugural Poem". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
20. "The National Written & Illustrated by... Awards Contest for Students Winners". Landmark Editions. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
21. Association for Library Service to Children (November 30, 1999). "Caldecott Medal Winners and Honor Books, 1938–Present". American Library Association. Retrieved May 14, 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Dav Pilkey at Library of Congress, with 62 library catalog records
• Sue Denim at Library of Congress, with 4 library catalog records (Dumb Bunnies, 1994 to 1997)
• Catalog record for George Beard at the United States Library of Congress
• Catalog record for Harold Hutchins at the United States Library of Congress

Interviews

• "Transcript of e-mail interview with Dav Pilkey, author, 'Captain Underpants' series" (Interview). Interviewed by Beth Nissen. CNN. July 11, 2000.
• "Interview with Dav Pilkey." - Scholastic Kids' Club. N.p., n.d.
• "A Hero In Briefs". Time (Interview). Interviewed by Andrea Sachs. August 27, 2001. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
• "The Man Behind Captain Underpants". All Things Considered (Interview). Interviewed by Jennifer Ludden. National Public Radio. September 20, 2003.
• "Kids' book author Dav Pilkey" (Interview). Interviewed by Rita Braver, CBS Sunday Morning. September 17, 2017.