I should clarify some things. First of all, because I mostly focus on the first book of the series, I neglected to mention that George and Harold are confirmed to be neurodivergent. Even before they were confirmed, they were coded as such anyways, but I hadn't realized that it does come up in later novels. Also, the "gay couple" in 'Sir Stinks-a-lot" is a future version of Harold himself. I probably should have been more specific here. Thanks!
@@unslashcultured on second thought, im thinking of a different book, but still i thought in the book i’m thinking of, harold an george visit themselves in the future, and i thought it also showed their wives? or am i remembering wrong? (i don’t even remember the book’s name. i only remember it because i saw a news report recording online about the book being banned from the scholastic book fair in some schools because of that scene and them showing one page that had them living together. then i saw it at my library, and read it. i got to that page, then i turned and the very next page showed their wives.) Edit: ok i tried looking up the news report and i couldn’t find it? that’s weird. it’s so clear in my mind yet i can’t find it.
I think the line "They wore their diagnoses like badges of honour" (referring to George and Harold learning they have adhd) is such an important thing to say, people can be ruthless when it comes to neurodivergence and its important for kids to know they shouldnt be ashamed to be neurodivergent
These books literally taught me how to read. When I was 5, I loved cap underpants, but my mom would only read me like one chapter. I forced myself to fresh up on all the reading lessons I’d been surrounded by, I just couldn’t stop reading. And to be clear, it wasn’t because my mom didn’t think the books were worth reading. She found them very funny. Sometimes I found my dad reading them when I came home. But she recognized that Dav’s writing was uniquely engaging for young kids in a way that nothing else really was.
it also taught me to read!! my dad would read them to me until I asked if I could read them to him instead eventually, and my love for reading sprouted from there. me and my sister would read dogman to each other eventually too, making up voices for each character
These books introduced me to both neurodivergence and LGBTQIA+. If it weren't for these books shedding a positive light on the topics, I wouldn't be as content with my identity as a queer person with ADHD today.
How/when did they show anything to do with the LGBTQIA+? (Not a disagreement/hate comment, genuinely wondering because I read these books ages ago when I was little)
I feel like I’m always told by people around me to not talk about the fact that I’m autistic/adhd, so seeing Dav openly talk about his experiences with neurodivergency gives me so much joy ^_^
@@evanthesquirrelHow? How can a word hurt you? I cannot speak for anyone else, but I can speak for myself. If I never accepted I was autistic, I would have no lens to understsnd myself through and thrive. My attempts to deny my autistic traits have made my life markedly worse, and this thinking directly contributes to that. I can explain further if you'd like me to?
@@evanthesquirrelif anything, realizing I’m neurodivergent has helped me not put myself in any box. I don’t have to wonder why I can’t fit into the “normal” box I can just be me
Growing up neurodivergent myself, these books spoke to me personally in a way I never was before and made me proud of who I was rather then ashamed. And I've been forever shaped and inspired because of these books and I forever appreciate that
I think the day I was told, "You're too old to read Captain Underpants," was the day I stopped reading. Stuff like Captain Underpants, Dog Man, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Bad Guys, # Storey Treehouse, and almost every one of Roald Dahl's books were the only things I liked to read. They were just fun stories with lessons sprinkled in as a bonus. Reading is supposed to be fun, so what's the point in reading if there's no fun factor?
People expect you to watch "boring adult things"when you reach that certain age and as an 18 year old that fucking sucks who in their right minds tells you what you can and cannot enjoy
@@rosemary3029 Idk, "boring adult stuff," isn't the right word, because a lot of adult stuff is fun to watch. It's just boring stuff in general I hate.
This video is wonderful. I’m an autistic cartoonist who started drawing and making comics because of the Captain Underpants books. I’m 20 now and I still buy every Dog Man book on release (btw the Dog Man movie trailer drops tomorrow!) Dav’s work has changed and influenced my life since I was young, like I would literally not be doing what I do if I didn’t read his books as a kid. It’s so great to see a neurodivergent artist thrive and inspire other neurodivergent kids, and I want to do it too one day! (Also fun fact , when Dav was still on Instagram I would tag him in some of my art when I was 13-14 and he would comment. He’s so supportive!) anyway, great video, i’m so glad you talked about this!
Both Captain Underpants and Dog Man helped me through some of the hardest times of my life. I have high-functioning autism, and during elementary and early middle school, I was heavily bullied because of it. Kids would pick on me whenever they wanted a simple laugh, and it made life miserable for me. It also didn't help that my frequent outbursts did nothing but piss off my teachers and parents (I commend their patience). So when I discovered those books, and saw how George, Harold, and Dav also struggled with schooling due to their neurodivergence, it inspired me. It gave me hope. His books gave me joy and hope in a time when I desperately needed all the joy and hope I could get. I remember my 3rd grade art teacher printing up a copy of "The Almost Completely True Adventures of Dav Pilkey", and hanging it up on the wall outside his class, and the last line of that comic, "And if a silly, smart-allecky goofball like Dav Pilkey can turn out alright... Then there's hope for every kid," resonates with me to this day. These books will always have a special place in my heart, because they were there for me at my lowest.
I am still baffled at how many talented essayists/documentarian/media discussion channels that go completely under the radar. Please keep going your stuff is gold :3
I grew up in a strict household and reading books like captain underpants always gave me a sense of escapism because these kids could just be kids and that’s what i liked about the series. My dad tried to make me stop reading them because of how “crude” the books are and they promoted “being naked in public” apparently?
Fun fact: George and Harold's names were diverged from some of Dav's favorite books, those being Curious George and Harold and the Purple Crayon. I think their last names also are an old pop culture reference but I can't remember what.
18:09 Actually there is. In the last book in the series, which heavily reinforces the themes you discussed in this video, there’s a chapter in which it is directly confirmed George and Harold have ADHD, and explained the effects of the condition, however George and Harold do not feel ashamed, instead they wear the diagnosis as a badge of honor, as they should.
@@unslashcultured Makes perfect sense! The overall theme which you explore in this video, feels surprisingly fleshed out and feels true for the whole series.
As a stupid ass kid I read the book where they were confirmed to be neurodivergent and thought “huh that’s pretty cool” and then read the book where future Harold was confirmed to be gay and had the same reaction, but I now realize how important stuff like that is for kids to know anout
I never knew the author was a fellow neurodivergent. I’m also a neurodivergent artist, as a kid while I didn’t obsess over the books that much I can absolutely relate to George and Harold. It’s like the universal package for ND folks that you’re bullied by peers and teachers and in my elementary school “career” I produced 100 10 paged issues of my own comics with no readers. I can’t help but envy that George and Harold had eachother throughout their stories and knowing the author was just on his own when having that experience hits home. I feel like more than ever we need these Antiestablishment stories for kids, we treat children like objects or pets as opposed to developing people and letting kids be able to recognize when they’re being hurt by the people that are supposed to protect them. Kids arent stupid they’re just navigating the world differently than adults do and certain adults are too immature to recognize that. Fantastic video btw, as a fellow neurodivergent this was a great connection to make to the series and I’m glad you decided to talk about it.
maturing is realizing these books had a way bigger influence on my psyche growing up than I realized at the time and as a neurodivergent queer person im so grateful
I actually have high functioning autism, and I always loved Captain Underpants books. Judging by this vid, it seems those books spoke more to me than I thought!
Diagnosed AuDHD kid here! I grew up (and still am growing up) with the dog man books, along with the captain underpants movie/netflix series (the only book I do own is coincidentally the colored version with the gay couple) it’s funny because for boys now days it considered normal but for girls (such as myself) it’s considered strange to indulge in such things. Thankfully my parents didn’t censor me from things “for boys” I’m now a digital artist/animator and I plan on making a full comic with my own characters.
That's pretty much the same case for me, too! I also have AuDHD, and I tend to go against gender norms a lot for what would usually be "strange" for a girl to do. For example, I never played with dolls as a kid and never had any girl friends, which sucked, because everyone just kind of assumed that since I was a girl, I'd like dolls. And I've always found dresses and skirts so uncomfortable! Fast-forward to now, and I haven't changed much. I love shounen anime, video games, and whatever else my silly little brain likes to hyperfixate on. I know a lot of people hate on "wokeness" and such, but I don't necessarily think my gender defines my interests. Same goes for guys, or whatever you identify as!
@@LivvyTube24 Yeah, don't worry about them. Gender norms should be thought of as descriptive, not prescriptive ("most girls like dolls", not "girls should like dolls"). There's also nothing wrong with liking different stuff. As for wokeness, that's a totally different kettle of fish! 😅 Uh, I don't know how to end this comment, so, uh, what's your favourite anime?
@@CantusTropus Ooh, that's a tough one. At the moment, probably Fruits Basket (pretty much the only shoujo I've watched) but Jujutsu Kaisen is pretty good too. I have a soft spot in my heart for Fruits Basket because it's about letting go of toxic people in your life, even though it hurts. It gets pretty dark, as one of the main themes is abuse and generational trauma, but it's amazing. I had just gotten out of a very very toxic relationship when I started it, and pretty much every other episode made me cry with how much I related with the themes and characters. Currently on, I wanna say maybe my third or fourth rewatch? Specifically the 2019 version, but I've watched the original too. (The original didn't actually finish the story, so I highly recommend the 2019 version over it.) Fruits basket changed my life, honestly. The quotes, the characters, the art, the themes, the backstories... And my personal favorite, the music. "Momiji's Violin" is one song I love recommending to friends. Short and pretty, and if you know the story behind it, even better. Edit: Also, to clarify, when I mentioned the discrimination against "wokeness," I mainly meant the people with the "alpha male" kind of mindset who think any kind of feminism is "unnatural" and "not how men and women work," similar to how LGBTQ+ criticism can sometimes sound.
Go for it, buddy. And I also grew up on the dog man books and the little 9 yr old me squealed inside when I found out there was a dog man movie is going to release only a couple days after my 16th birthday and I'm hecka excited.
My teacher read us I survived when I was younger and I realized that the book she read us might have I survived the San Francisco earthquake wich was great for me because I wanted to know how the book ended. But I read the book on the Joplin tsunami of 2011,I had nightmares about it, which I attributed to high school. I'm ok now, tho.
When I was a kid I judged this book by it’s cover and thought it was just stupid humor. As an adult who has now read some of the books I have a lot of respect for them
Dogman heavily highlights the message about encouraging children to read and find different stories to enjoy. Each book is written by George and Harold after their latest teacher (who is suprisingly a nice lady) gets them into classic literature and they take those stories and make a Dogman tale about it. You can often tell what book they've read recently because the title will share a similarity with the book being referenced.
the captain underpants books are actually part of the reason i got diagnosed with adhd. i, as a nine year old child, related so hard to george and harold (ESPECIALLY harold) that when i read the part in the 12th book that said they had adhd i started doing loads of research and pushed my parents into getting me a diagnosis… it still took a few years for the diagnosis to happen (i WAS nine when this happened, and i don’t think any adult would trust a nine year old’s view on their mental health), but if probably would’ve taken wayyyy longer if i hadn’t read these books
The parallels between Pilkey's life and my own are staggering; though I was less interested in comics and moreso in drawing, I remember very clearly having teachers rip them from my hands, being unable to sit still, angry teachers shouting at me, etc. He gave me a little world to disappear into where there WAS a way to express yourself, to not let the bad guys win, and to not be stifled by a society that forces assimilation (an especially difficult thing to experience when you're on the spectrum).
My first book of Dave's was actually Super Diaper Baby. I didn't have the opportunity to continue reading his other work because something about captain underpants made me jealous that super diaper baby only had one book at the time, which is funny in retrospect and makes a lot of sense for my personality, but my respect for the author remained strong regardless, somehow. The idea that i could draw stuff myself likely stemmed from this single book, considering i used to make comics in school about kirby and store them in my desk cubby. But it sucked because I'd always show up one day, and my comics would be gone. That never stopped me, nor was it the last time i had my work taken from me somehow. In middle school, i had this teacher who in retrospect did single me out all year, but on the very first week of school, took a page of my comic, read it aloud, and never gave it back. I spotted it in her drawer right on top of everything later that year. And not even my parents took my side, agreeing that i should have been paying attention. The catch is i never dipped below a B grade in school. I was by no means a bad student or child in general. The next time i had my work taken, it was outright stolen from me. A kid pretended to "get me" to go to the office because i was going home, according to the teacher, and i was so distraight that i cried. Said teacher said something like "you should be an actor" and it confused me at the time because I was actually upset, and my art meant a lot to me because it was the personal stuff i drew that wasnt for a grade. And that wasn't even the last time I got my art stolen from in life, lmao. It wasnt until highschool that i realized i could be neurodivergent, and in restrospect, it makes sense. I always struggled socially, and while my creativity wasn't always outright disparaged, if it wasn't the right kind of creativity, or it was done at an inappropriate time, or whatever, people were on my case. And i continue to struggle in many weird ways today. Im glad that there are books like that for kids still. I wouldnt say that having your work taken from you is a right of passage for a neurodivergent artist but man does it seem like a common occurrence.
Believe it or not, there exists a 2nd book, one about a scientist who accidentally turns into water, gets drank up by his cat, and is turned into pee. (I'm not making this up) This would also mark the debut appearance of Petey the cat, who would later become the main antagonist for the Dog Man comics.
@@darkrexkigntstone8773 just found my childhood copy and read it to my two year old. we both had a good time and I was honestly laughing throughout it all, such a good one
Growing up being diagnosed with ADHD by my school (they hired a professional) and having to deal with under equipped teachers, and a parent who believed “I didn’t have ADHD I just needed to focus harder.” This one really hit close.
Aw yeah, the waistband warrior was one of my childhood obsessions as a kid & I still love them to this day. Easy to say, this is definitely a book series that resonates with creative types.
I absolutely grew up on these books, I’m pretty sure I had the whole collection. As that weird kid outcast, the books just brought comfort and silly creativity to my mind. And I still keep up with Dav’s work to this day. Plus, I never even noticed the fact that Harold in the future was gay, young me just glossed it over and didn’t care or mind. Didn’t do me any trouble, and looking back I think it’s nice that he as put in there. Just adds a lil depth and puts a smile on my face
i was diagnosed with autism when i was around 3-4. i was in special ed classes, but i was also intergrated in general ed classes. while i didnt grow up with captain underpants, i did grow up with dog man (i was 7 at the time, now 14). as a kid, i would borrow dog man books from my schools library ALL the time. while it was just silly fun at the time, when i looked back, i felt like i saw some reference to neurodivergence in the books (i mean come on theres a robot literally named 80-HD, plus a chapter in one of the books called Behavioral Modification Therapy) when i was looking back sometimes i saw myself in dog man: he was hyper-active, he would get scolded when he didnt behave right, he would be ashamed of his "mistakes". but i wrote this off as me "coping" or me inserting myself, and it was just a weird coincidence. seeing this video gave me a sense of comfort, and that im not the only one who connects some of their life as a neurodivergent kid with pilkeys work. so thank you ❤
Also as someone undiagnosed but told by at least five people now I'm not neurotypical(ballpark guess is just autism), the same can be said for me. My notes and thoughts are littered with doodles and I preferred some kind of break up of text with images to help me read alot better than a massive wall of text that looks daunting to even start. My first CU book was book 6, battle of the bionic booger boy, and everything just clicked. I related more to George, Harold and even Melvin the book's antagonist. I related to Melvin in the sense of being ignored both by the system and by my own peers. I was angry, lonely and didn't understand alot of social cues or just how to talk to people without them staring at me like I spoke another language. In hindsight, liking captain underpants probably IS the diagnosis at this point cause while others read Harry Potter or other cooler books I was happy with half comic half chapter books cause it was just alot easier to read and I felt Dav understood writing what I wanted to read more. Also if you're interested in anymore, the movie got a show on Netflix which has a mid to good season 1, great season 2 that expands on Melvin's character, mid season 3, mid and kinda confusing season 4 of them going to space, and two holiday specials. Also an interactive netflix special.
I remember finding Harold and George’s fear of being separated oddly relatable, as I had a similar thing happen a few times in school but for different reasons. Kids formed friend groups that I wasn’t a part of and I felt kinda lonely, and I kinda understood why they wouldn’t want to have eachother since they both understood eachother
I always wondered why I loved the books as a kid, it all makes sense now (I am formally diagnosed with autism, adhd, and anxiety, and the autism diagnosis was since I was 5, I just never put 2 and 2 together about the books) Edit: another childrens book character i believe is neurodivergent is rowley from diary of a wimpy kid
I went to school for dyslexia and when dog man was introduced to us, we went crazy our school had so many of the books because all the kids love them, it really encouraged us to read
I was the most popular kid in like third grade because I would take the first book with me and let my classmates move the flip-o-rama pages. I also got the one with the evil toilet robots lololol. I remember colouring the first book with my shitty school-grade colour pencils. now my lil' bro is a fan as well because of the movie and the Netflix series.
Man, this makes me wanna read a Wikipedia article about the franchise and buy all the first editions of the captain underpants books (cuz I don’t like reprints that have a “the book that the movie was based on” and such. Like, wtf, man?
"the book that the movie was based on" Except it's not based on any one book. The movie is a half original story and half hodgepodge of books 1, 2, and 4.
I never had the book form of the captian underpants hyperfixtation but For all of Daves other books along with the captian underpants and show, I loved dog man and still do, I’ve always adored his content. I do remember as a 3rd grader I saw in the back if the books blurb that he had adhd, and when I saw that I had one of those “oh hey look! That’s like me!” Kind of moments, I think fondly of that memory :)
My younger brother got into these books before I did. I thought it was way too immature for me. Then I actually read the first book, and holy crap I was wrong. I read all the books, saw the movie, and watched all the episodes of the show. I haven't read the books in a long time, but looking back as someone with ADHD, I really appreciated how open he was about being neurodivergent and how it shaped his books.
Awesome video! Im an aspiring comic book artist, and looking back to my childhood I really think Dav and his work was foundational for cultivating a real sense of freedom and creativity. I literally have a stack of sketchbooks from when I was about 7, half full of drawings of the turbo toilet 2000 lol. Thanks for reminding me of Dav, and probably cementing the idea that my kids will 100% have this series on their shelves.
As a kid I struggled to read books, both my attention span couldn't handle it and also reading ingeneral was a struggle. My mum eventually found some books that were easy for me to read and I fell in love with them, Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and of course Captaim Underpants. The big cartoony drawings with activities, jokes, and easy to read text, with characters that I saw myself in so much as a little kid that would draw nonstop. Growing up autistic was hard, but this books made it a little bit easier.
I really appreciate a video like this, when the movie came out I'm very distinctly remember a film review where halfway through the narrator started bashing the books for their humor and the boys antics and their "holier than thou" take really has stuck with me. Silly books like these are what helped my get into reading as a kid and I especially related since I was also getting in trouble at school and neurodivergent!
I diagnosed with ADHD 2 month ago and this books dominating book market in my country for last 2 years. I never pick up the book now this video nade me intrested. Btw new subscriber...
Yeah, I loved the dog man draw it yourself sections, I regularly use that style nowadays even though I’m far past really wanting to read those books, and I don’t doubt that it resonated with me with my autism, I’m finding out so many things about myself after finally figuring that out, my parents knew long before me that I was probably autistic, but it’s only now that I’m really exploring what that means for me, so that’s another thing on the LONG list of things I’ve done in my life that were probably influenced by that
if these books never existed i wouldve literally never met my best friend, or if we did meet we would’ve never become as close, she introduced me to the series when we were younger and we immediately connected because of that, becoming basically inseparable so thanks captain underpants for giving me a best friend (*^ω^*)
As an autistic kid. I didn’t know why I connected to Captain Underpants so much, when I was in 4th grade my abusive teacher (who later got fired) humiliated me in front of my classmates for reading it
The first captain underpants book I found was the 2nd one on the bookshelf in my first grade class. I was a reader from a young age but this series really engaged me like no other. From that point on, I began to write my own comics in my notebooks. Learning that I’ve had ADHD & Autism has made Captain Underpants even more important to me, so I thank you for this great video.
As an actually diagnosed adhd and although not fully diagnosed all phycologists and places where i got ADHD diagnosis they said i probably have autism, i genuinely loved those books because they helped me write and learn my passion for creativity
despite being 17yo , dav pilkey's work still always fascinate me :) often see myself rereading some of the books out of boredom. (i'm not professionally diagnosed, but i've always had a feeling that i probably have autism, maybe adhd (inattentive / combined), and maybe other stuffs idk :P)
Definitely relatable. In elementary starting grade 4, I used to just draw and draw, struggled to pay attention all i wanted to do was draw and learn about cartoons and games and make animations. Around then i was diagnosed with adhd and i think it was a few years after that, autism on top of that.
The humour in the books is actually quite sophisticated once you get past the bathroom humour. As a neurodivergent child with a sophisticated sense of humour raised on The Simpsons, these books were so formative. It was the first time I had seen that style of comedy in a book, it changed the way I thought about writing. They are brilliant.
A lot of people may doubt you if you say you're "self-diagnosed", but I actually think it's a really helpful way to come to terms with your upbringing if you recognize some of these symptoms in yourself. I have a similar story with Matilda making me realize I'm likely autistic. Of course, it wasn't just the musical, and it was something I pondered over for a really long time, but once I realized I had bonded with this character who is coded neurodivergent that I had the courage to see these traits within myself. Once I reached that conclusion, it was like the floodgates opened. Honestly, it explains so much stuff in my life that I can't unsee it now. I'm planning on getting an official diagnosis eventually. It's gonna be expensive and time consuming, but I know it will be worth it. Even if the answer is "no", at the very least I'm gonna have some closure on some deep-rooted stuff from my past. I'm glad that a fictional character was able to do the same to you as it did for me. I hope you get your closure too eventually ❤
Very good video, incredibly charming and just has me going "Yeah! Yeah! This guy gets it!" The whole time. My friend shared it with me and I'm very glad because I was having a bad day before I watched it
Looking back on my childhood there are moments where I say “ooooooohhhh now it makes sense”. The fact that I so closely identified with George and Harold as a fellow “troublemaker” who made comics in class is another sign.
To be honest, it was Dav Pilkey that got me into reading, and even writing too! While Steven King is my main inspiration for writing, Dav Pilkey got me into it, especially in writing silly nonsensical stories.
Okay I wrote a lot so I am not going to read over it and check for mistakes. If you dare to read it all and you find a part that doesn't make sense or has an obvious error, I apologize. Captain Underpants didn't just make me a reader, it made me a writer. I was always making books as a kid and I'm pretty sure that stemmed from Captain Underpants. It greatly inspired my main series that I would write as a kid: The Giant Man-Eating Man. It was as dumb, if not dumber, than Captain Underpants. It was about two brothers (one in middle school and one in high school) and this one giant man who eats people whenever he feels like it. The two boys' names were George and Simon. I didn't name one of them George because of Captain Underpants though. I just came up with that name for the character on my own. But still I think you might already be able to notice a similarity. Two kids named George and Harold with this other guy, Captain Underpants. Two kids named George and Simon with this other guy, The Giant Man-Eating Man. But there are even more similarities. The book was more or less a comic except with only one picture on every page, the type of humor is almost exactly the same and it even had flip o rama. My most recent GMEM book that I made was when I was in 6th grade and I never finished it. I happened to have been looking through it earlier today. It was called The Giant Man-Eating Man and the Terrorization of the Jurassic Booger Monster (I did not have the booger robot monster Captain Underpants books in mind this time). Who knows? Maybe I'll come back to it and finally finish it here 4 years later. I also made several awesome spin offs. Party Pooper (a dude with the ability to control poop and create it out of thin air), Potato Man (A living potato who can summon other potatoes and bring them to life), and my personal favorite, Big Bubble (a highschool kid with bubble gum powers. This one was inspired by Despicable Me 3). There were several other allies and enemies in my books. There were a couple books I started on but never finished like Lightning Bug(a girl who goes to the same school as Big Bubble. She has the ability to get small like Ant Man and she can shock people with her electric gloves, as well as use several other gadgets. She was also literally the ONLY female protagonist in my entire "superhero" universe 😭). As time went on, my books became more sophisticated. They were still just as dumb, but the stories and drawings and style were more refined. I mean, that's just how practice works + I was growing more mature than before. It was about sometime in 6th grade that I kind of lost interest in making comics and stuff. But I still held on to that creativity. Then in May of 2023 in 8th grade, I was assigned a small creative writing assignment. Once I thought of what to write, I got carried away. I soon found out that the assignment I was doing wasn't even for a grade. But by then I was too deep into what I was doing. I typed for days (it was on the computer). What was supposed to be a short ungraded writing assignment ended up being 12 pages long in Google Docs with 11 or 12 point font. I wasn't able to complete it before school ended so I emailed it to my teacher over the summer. I also showed it to everyone I knew. My mom liked it so much that she sent it to two publishing companies and they both wanted to publish it. I wrote the story purely for fun at this point but now that we had the opportunity, we decided to go through with it. To make a long story short, we hired an illustrator and got the story published. I was only 14 years old when I wrote it and 15 when it was published, and I am currently 15. It is an intentionally dumb book called The Pro Gamers and the Time Machine by Jonah Fletcher. It is currently available on Amazon for $11. There is a lot of room for improvement but for my first published book, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. To say I got all my creativity from Captain Underpants might be a big stretch but I know a lot of my spark and inspiration came from it. If you actually read this far, I am truly impressed. Thank you Side note: was there really same sex marriage in the last Captain Underpants book??? Dav Pilkey gets -100 aura points. Not cool bro. Not very sigma dude. Edit: i don't know if it's worth mentioning or not but I in fact have ADD. And I am struggling to keep my grades up because of it. Anyway thats it
It's kinda weird how you write this emotional heart-wrenching paragraph, then towards the end you're like "gay people exist? Ew 🤢" Anyways, I wish you luck in your journeys, hope you get more of your books published
@@YehudiNimolthankfully, this guy is only in 10th grade He still has time to give the same empathy he wants to other people. You can't get it without first giving it.
I also thought this! Knew about the movie but had no idea the trailer was dropping. Probably explains why this video is doing better than my norm hahah!
Dav Pilkey realllllly wanted to piss off the GOP (grumpy old people) with his final Captain Underpants book by not only including the “foul language” they complained about, but making the final book’s plot surround ADHD and casually showing that one of the main characters is canonically gay and has a husband in the future, not even addressing it, just showing it casually.
As someone who is neurodivergent, this book series was my everything. I have to give it props for helping lead me on to art more than I already was as a kid, as I redrew the poctures in those books thousands of times in chunky scholastic diaries I bought. Thanks, Dav!
I really do not want to be a downer here, but this simply isn't universally true, especially for autistic people. Despite me probably having it, i have no plans to pursue an official diagnosis. 1- as a black masculine-presenting person, I really do not want to add another way for law enforcement to discriminate against me. 2- by virtue of being an officially diagnosed autistic person, or any kind of neurodivergent with considerable support needs, i would be at a high risk of being denied the ability to immigrate to several countries, like canada, australia, new zealand, and singapore. This doesn't affect me, but in states trying to restrict the rights of trans people to receive transition medical care, an autism diagnosis could be an excuse to deny them that care. I truly think your intentions are noble, but most of the time, we have a good reason why we haven't, and this can turn into negative pressure quickly.
I remember I used to make a bunch of drawings and comics back in school when I was supposed to be writing, and I got in a lot of trouble for them. I still made comics sometimes, but eventually got so afraid I'd get in trouble for having them that I destroyed them all. Part of me wonders how different my life could have been if my love for making comics wasn't suppressed. It's something I could never do today.
Even if I wasn’t into his books as much compared to my brother, I can say that his work is the best thing ever. My brother had such a hard time reading until he began to read dog man which was always so sweet to see :3
I consider Dav Pilkey an anarchist genius, Captain Underpants books are great for teaching kids not to trust authority figures blindly, yet Dogman is unfournately Copganda
I should clarify some things. First of all, because I mostly focus on the first book of the series, I neglected to mention that George and Harold are confirmed to be neurodivergent. Even before they were confirmed, they were coded as such anyways, but I hadn't realized that it does come up in later novels.
Also, the "gay couple" in 'Sir Stinks-a-lot" is a future version of Harold himself. I probably should have been more specific here.
Thanks!
I always loved that Harold was gay in the future. Honestly I think it was the first time I ever realized that was a thing you could be lol
also, iirc, they weren’t even gay, they just lived together
Nah, it specifically says "Harold and his husband".
@@unslashcultured on second thought, im thinking of a different book, but still i thought in the book i’m thinking of, harold an george visit themselves in the future, and i thought it also showed their wives? or am i remembering wrong? (i don’t even remember the book’s name. i only remember it because i saw a news report recording online about the book being banned from the scholastic book fair in some schools because of that scene and them showing one page that had them living together. then i saw it at my library, and read it. i got to that page, then i turned and the very next page showed their wives.)
Edit: ok i tried looking up the news report and i couldn’t find it? that’s weird. it’s so clear in my mind yet i can’t find it.
Dave pilkey trying not to be the most based fucking author ever:
Shout out to Harold Hutchins for teaching me that casual gay people exist
In my country they straight up removed that part because we have "Muslim values"
Wait which part
@@kirbmaster9405 I assume the part of the final book where they show future Harold in a gay marriage
Actual representation for once, instead of whatever hollywood does.
This implies there's a "ranked" group of gay people.
I love that this successful series is essentially a FU to his teachers and the US education system in general
It's got silly humour AND the growth of character!
Yep.
I think the line "They wore their diagnoses like badges of honour" (referring to George and Harold learning they have adhd) is such an important thing to say, people can be ruthless when it comes to neurodivergence and its important for kids to know they shouldnt be ashamed to be neurodivergent
I don't know why, but when I was a kid that point flew straight over my head. It sure taught me a thing or two about ableism, though.
I love that Harold and George are canonically neurodivergent
I had no idea that the books talked about that in the later entries. I'm glad that they do!!
103
What book?
@@unslashcultured in the very last book they confirm that they both have ADHD
@@Oranges2124 the 12th one
These books literally taught me how to read. When I was 5, I loved cap underpants, but my mom would only read me like one chapter. I forced myself to fresh up on all the reading lessons I’d been surrounded by, I just couldn’t stop reading. And to be clear, it wasn’t because my mom didn’t think the books were worth reading. She found them very funny. Sometimes I found my dad reading them when I came home. But she recognized that Dav’s writing was uniquely engaging for young kids in a way that nothing else really was.
Between the wordplay, alliteration, style of paragraphs, etc. I love it.
it also taught me to read!! my dad would read them to me until I asked if I could read them to him instead eventually, and my love for reading sprouted from there. me and my sister would read dogman to each other eventually too, making up voices for each character
I could only imagine how awake you were every night she got to the chapter "To Make A Long Story Short".
These books introduced me to both neurodivergence and LGBTQIA+. If it weren't for these books shedding a positive light on the topics, I wouldn't be as content with my identity as a queer person with ADHD today.
Damn you have the whole starter pack
@@kaijotten lmao 😭
@@kaijottenlol
@@kaijottenLMFAO😭
How/when did they show anything to do with the LGBTQIA+?
(Not a disagreement/hate comment, genuinely wondering because I read these books ages ago when I was little)
I feel like I’m always told by people around me to not talk about the fact that I’m autistic/adhd, so seeing Dav openly talk about his experiences with neurodivergency gives me so much joy ^_^
Its dangerous to put yourself or allow yourself to be put in that box.
Yeah, we really need more neurodivergent people making kids media, and more neurodivergence in kids media in general.
@@evanthesquirrelHow? How can a word hurt you?
I cannot speak for anyone else, but I can speak for myself. If I never accepted I was autistic, I would have no lens to understsnd myself through and thrive. My attempts to deny my autistic traits have made my life markedly worse, and this thinking directly contributes to that. I can explain further if you'd like me to?
@@evanthesquirrelif anything, realizing I’m neurodivergent has helped me not put myself in any box. I don’t have to wonder why I can’t fit into the “normal” box I can just be me
POLYGAWN SPOTTED I LOVE YOUR ART
Growing up neurodivergent myself, these books spoke to me personally in a way I never was before and made me proud of who I was rather then ashamed. And I've been forever shaped and inspired because of these books and I forever appreciate that
10
holy frickin crap lois! crazygamerinc??!
@@crazygamerinc 73 :)
@@dumboyreal oh my gosh, this is Soooo EPIC
@@crazygamerinc CRAZY GAMER??? this is a crazy crossover, almost like FORTNITE
I would have my grandma read these to me before bed.
@@nicholasroberts7838 thats a good Grandma haha
based grandma
Fr??
sigma
My Granny would have me read Captain Underpants to her before I went to bed
I think the day I was told, "You're too old to read Captain Underpants," was the day I stopped reading.
Stuff like Captain Underpants, Dog Man, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Bad Guys, # Storey Treehouse, and almost every one of Roald Dahl's books were the only things I liked to read. They were just fun stories with lessons sprinkled in as a bonus.
Reading is supposed to be fun, so what's the point in reading if there's no fun factor?
Real
People expect you to watch "boring adult things"when you reach that certain age and as an 18 year old that fucking sucks who in their right minds tells you what you can and cannot enjoy
@@rosemary3029
Idk, "boring adult stuff," isn't the right word, because a lot of adult stuff is fun to watch.
It's just boring stuff in general I hate.
This video is wonderful. I’m an autistic cartoonist who started drawing and making comics because of the Captain Underpants books. I’m 20 now and I still buy every Dog Man book on release (btw the Dog Man movie trailer drops tomorrow!) Dav’s work has changed and influenced my life since I was young, like I would literally not be doing what I do if I didn’t read his books as a kid. It’s so great to see a neurodivergent artist thrive and inspire other neurodivergent kids, and I want to do it too one day! (Also fun fact , when Dav was still on Instagram I would tag him in some of my art when I was 13-14 and he would comment. He’s so supportive!) anyway, great video, i’m so glad you talked about this!
Good luck with your art! And yes Dav is one of a kind. Thanks for the insightful comment!
Both Captain Underpants and Dog Man helped me through some of the hardest times of my life. I have high-functioning autism, and during elementary and early middle school, I was heavily bullied because of it. Kids would pick on me whenever they wanted a simple laugh, and it made life miserable for me. It also didn't help that my frequent outbursts did nothing but piss off my teachers and parents (I commend their patience). So when I discovered those books, and saw how George, Harold, and Dav also struggled with schooling due to their neurodivergence, it inspired me. It gave me hope. His books gave me joy and hope in a time when I desperately needed all the joy and hope I could get. I remember my 3rd grade art teacher printing up a copy of "The Almost Completely True Adventures of Dav Pilkey", and hanging it up on the wall outside his class, and the last line of that comic, "And if a silly, smart-allecky goofball like Dav Pilkey can turn out alright... Then there's hope for every kid," resonates with me to this day. These books will always have a special place in my heart, because they were there for me at my lowest.
the title of the video hit a weird cord in my brain that I never thought about
I am still baffled at how many talented essayists/documentarian/media discussion channels that go completely under the radar. Please keep going your stuff is gold :3
Much appreciated 💘
Neurodivergence is when you jump out the window and yell "TRALALALALALA"
Yeah, actually
what, you haven't?
That's actually on my Saturday plans
Higher the bulding, higher the degree if neurodivergence
I grew up in a strict household and reading books like captain underpants always gave me a sense of escapism because these kids could just be kids and that’s what i liked about the series. My dad tried to make me stop reading them because of how “crude” the books are and they promoted “being naked in public” apparently?
Bro I feel you, that "promoting being naked in public" line is so typical of a strict parent
same with my parents lmao, read them anyway 💯
Fun fact: George and Harold's names were diverged from some of Dav's favorite books, those being Curious George and Harold and the Purple Crayon. I think their last names also are an old pop culture reference but I can't remember what.
At least one of them was connected to an actor from The Little Rascals, I recall
18:09 Actually there is. In the last book in the series, which heavily reinforces the themes you discussed in this video, there’s a chapter in which it is directly confirmed George and Harold have ADHD, and explained the effects of the condition, however George and Harold do not feel ashamed, instead they wear the diagnosis as a badge of honor, as they should.
Thats good to know! I was focusing my analysis on the first book but I'm happy to know its addressed in later books!
@@unslashcultured Makes perfect sense! The overall theme which you explore in this video, feels surprisingly fleshed out and feels true for the whole series.
I need to delve into the series more!!
As a stupid ass kid I read the book where they were confirmed to be neurodivergent and thought “huh that’s pretty cool” and then read the book where future Harold was confirmed to be gay and had the same reaction, but I now realize how important stuff like that is for kids to know anout
I never knew the author was a fellow neurodivergent.
I’m also a neurodivergent artist, as a kid while I didn’t obsess over the books that much I can absolutely relate to George and Harold. It’s like the universal package for ND folks that you’re bullied by peers and teachers and in my elementary school “career” I produced 100 10 paged issues of my own comics with no readers. I can’t help but envy that George and Harold had eachother throughout their stories and knowing the author was just on his own when having that experience hits home. I feel like more than ever we need these Antiestablishment stories for kids, we treat children like objects or pets as opposed to developing people and letting kids be able to recognize when they’re being hurt by the people that are supposed to protect them. Kids arent stupid they’re just navigating the world differently than adults do and certain adults are too immature to recognize that.
Fantastic video btw, as a fellow neurodivergent this was a great connection to make to the series and I’m glad you decided to talk about it.
i have adhd and being hyperfixated on dogman and captain underpants just makes sense
My Dogman hyperfixation came back recently and I’m ngl it fits me so well
Now that I think about it, the little author bio in the books always made sense
maturing is realizing these books had a way bigger influence on my psyche growing up than I realized at the time and as a neurodivergent queer person im so grateful
I actually have high functioning autism, and I always loved Captain Underpants books. Judging by this vid, it seems those books spoke more to me than I thought!
Diagnosed AuDHD kid here! I grew up (and still am growing up) with the dog man books, along with the captain underpants movie/netflix series (the only book I do own is coincidentally the colored version with the gay couple) it’s funny because for boys now days it considered normal but for girls (such as myself) it’s considered strange to indulge in such things. Thankfully my parents didn’t censor me from things “for boys” I’m now a digital artist/animator and I plan on making a full comic with my own characters.
Omg Four PFP!!! And I also have ADHD (not autism though) and I'm also a digital artist/animator that is making a comic :DD
That's pretty much the same case for me, too! I also have AuDHD, and I tend to go against gender norms a lot for what would usually be "strange" for a girl to do. For example, I never played with dolls as a kid and never had any girl friends, which sucked, because everyone just kind of assumed that since I was a girl, I'd like dolls. And I've always found dresses and skirts so uncomfortable! Fast-forward to now, and I haven't changed much. I love shounen anime, video games, and whatever else my silly little brain likes to hyperfixate on. I know a lot of people hate on "wokeness" and such, but I don't necessarily think my gender defines my interests. Same goes for guys, or whatever you identify as!
@@LivvyTube24 Yeah, don't worry about them. Gender norms should be thought of as descriptive, not prescriptive ("most girls like dolls", not "girls should like dolls"). There's also nothing wrong with liking different stuff. As for wokeness, that's a totally different kettle of fish! 😅 Uh, I don't know how to end this comment, so, uh, what's your favourite anime?
@@CantusTropus Ooh, that's a tough one. At the moment, probably Fruits Basket (pretty much the only shoujo I've watched) but Jujutsu Kaisen is pretty good too. I have a soft spot in my heart for Fruits Basket because it's about letting go of toxic people in your life, even though it hurts. It gets pretty dark, as one of the main themes is abuse and generational trauma, but it's amazing. I had just gotten out of a very very toxic relationship when I started it, and pretty much every other episode made me cry with how much I related with the themes and characters. Currently on, I wanna say maybe my third or fourth rewatch? Specifically the 2019 version, but I've watched the original too. (The original didn't actually finish the story, so I highly recommend the 2019 version over it.)
Fruits basket changed my life, honestly. The quotes, the characters, the art, the themes, the backstories... And my personal favorite, the music. "Momiji's Violin" is one song I love recommending to friends. Short and pretty, and if you know the story behind it, even better.
Edit: Also, to clarify, when I mentioned the discrimination against "wokeness," I mainly meant the people with the "alpha male" kind of mindset who think any kind of feminism is "unnatural" and "not how men and women work," similar to how LGBTQ+ criticism can sometimes sound.
Go for it, buddy. And I also grew up on the dog man books and the little 9 yr old me squealed inside when I found out there was a dog man movie is going to release only a couple days after my 16th birthday and I'm hecka excited.
My kindergarten teacher read us captain underpants books every day before dismissal, and I will never forget her for that.
W teacher
My teacher read us I survived when I was younger and I realized that the book she read us might have I survived the San Francisco earthquake wich was great for me because I wanted to know how the book ended. But I read the book on the Joplin tsunami of 2011,I had nightmares about it, which I attributed to high school. I'm ok now, tho.
When I was a kid I judged this book by it’s cover and thought it was just stupid humor. As an adult who has now read some of the books I have a lot of respect for them
I loved these books growing up. I wore out the pages as a child.
Dogman heavily highlights the message about encouraging children to read and find different stories to enjoy. Each book is written by George and Harold after their latest teacher (who is suprisingly a nice lady) gets them into classic literature and they take those stories and make a Dogman tale about it. You can often tell what book they've read recently because the title will share a similarity with the book being referenced.
the captain underpants books are actually part of the reason i got diagnosed with adhd. i, as a nine year old child, related so hard to george and harold (ESPECIALLY harold) that when i read the part in the 12th book that said they had adhd i started doing loads of research and pushed my parents into getting me a diagnosis… it still took a few years for the diagnosis to happen (i WAS nine when this happened, and i don’t think any adult would trust a nine year old’s view on their mental health), but if probably would’ve taken wayyyy longer if i hadn’t read these books
The parallels between Pilkey's life and my own are staggering; though I was less interested in comics and moreso in drawing, I remember very clearly having teachers rip them from my hands, being unable to sit still, angry teachers shouting at me, etc. He gave me a little world to disappear into where there WAS a way to express yourself, to not let the bad guys win, and to not be stifled by a society that forces assimilation (an especially difficult thing to experience when you're on the spectrum).
My first book of Dave's was actually Super Diaper Baby. I didn't have the opportunity to continue reading his other work because something about captain underpants made me jealous that super diaper baby only had one book at the time, which is funny in retrospect and makes a lot of sense for my personality, but my respect for the author remained strong regardless, somehow.
The idea that i could draw stuff myself likely stemmed from this single book, considering i used to make comics in school about kirby and store them in my desk cubby. But it sucked because I'd always show up one day, and my comics would be gone. That never stopped me, nor was it the last time i had my work taken from me somehow. In middle school, i had this teacher who in retrospect did single me out all year, but on the very first week of school, took a page of my comic, read it aloud, and never gave it back. I spotted it in her drawer right on top of everything later that year. And not even my parents took my side, agreeing that i should have been paying attention. The catch is i never dipped below a B grade in school. I was by no means a bad student or child in general. The next time i had my work taken, it was outright stolen from me. A kid pretended to "get me" to go to the office because i was going home, according to the teacher, and i was so distraight that i cried. Said teacher said something like "you should be an actor" and it confused me at the time because I was actually upset, and my art meant a lot to me because it was the personal stuff i drew that wasnt for a grade. And that wasn't even the last time I got my art stolen from in life, lmao. It wasnt until highschool that i realized i could be neurodivergent, and in restrospect, it makes sense. I always struggled socially, and while my creativity wasn't always outright disparaged, if it wasn't the right kind of creativity, or it was done at an inappropriate time, or whatever, people were on my case. And i continue to struggle in many weird ways today. Im glad that there are books like that for kids still. I wouldnt say that having your work taken from you is a right of passage for a neurodivergent artist but man does it seem like a common occurrence.
Believe it or not, there exists a 2nd book, one about a scientist who accidentally turns into water, gets drank up by his cat, and is turned into pee.
(I'm not making this up)
This would also mark the debut appearance of Petey the cat, who would later become the main antagonist for the Dog Man comics.
@@TheIrkenEmpire420 that is awesome!!!! I need to check that book out
fun fact: in dogman, 80-hd is a play on for the thing adhd and i never realised that until the other day😭😭
I immediately realized the connection because adhd and 80-hd sound exactly the same.
Good video. Magic Treehouse was also one of my favorites books.
Sameeee
Stinky Cheese Man was another fave
@@jimmjimms I still got that book. It is the goat!
@@darkrexkigntstone8773 just found my childhood copy and read it to my two year old. we both had a good time and I was honestly laughing throughout it all, such a good one
@@jimmjimms Nice!
Growing up being diagnosed with ADHD by my school (they hired a professional) and having to deal with under equipped teachers, and a parent who believed “I didn’t have ADHD I just needed to focus harder.” This one really hit close.
Aw yeah, the waistband warrior was one of my childhood obsessions as a kid & I still love them to this day.
Easy to say, this is definitely a book series that resonates with creative types.
I absolutely grew up on these books, I’m pretty sure I had the whole collection. As that weird kid outcast, the books just brought comfort and silly creativity to my mind. And I still keep up with Dav’s work to this day. Plus, I never even noticed the fact that Harold in the future was gay, young me just glossed it over and didn’t care or mind. Didn’t do me any trouble, and looking back I think it’s nice that he as put in there. Just adds a lil depth and puts a smile on my face
i was diagnosed with autism when i was around 3-4. i was in special ed classes, but i was also intergrated in general ed classes. while i didnt grow up with captain underpants, i did grow up with dog man (i was 7 at the time, now 14). as a kid, i would borrow dog man books from my schools library ALL the time. while it was just silly fun at the time, when i looked back, i felt like i saw some reference to neurodivergence in the books (i mean come on theres a robot literally named 80-HD, plus a chapter in one of the books called Behavioral Modification Therapy) when i was looking back sometimes i saw myself in dog man: he was hyper-active, he would get scolded when he didnt behave right, he would be ashamed of his "mistakes". but i wrote this off as me "coping" or me inserting myself, and it was just a weird coincidence. seeing this video gave me a sense of comfort, and that im not the only one who connects some of their life as a neurodivergent kid with pilkeys work. so thank you ❤
Also as someone undiagnosed but told by at least five people now I'm not neurotypical(ballpark guess is just autism), the same can be said for me. My notes and thoughts are littered with doodles and I preferred some kind of break up of text with images to help me read alot better than a massive wall of text that looks daunting to even start. My first CU book was book 6, battle of the bionic booger boy, and everything just clicked. I related more to George, Harold and even Melvin the book's antagonist. I related to Melvin in the sense of being ignored both by the system and by my own peers. I was angry, lonely and didn't understand alot of social cues or just how to talk to people without them staring at me like I spoke another language.
In hindsight, liking captain underpants probably IS the diagnosis at this point cause while others read Harry Potter or other cooler books I was happy with half comic half chapter books cause it was just alot easier to read and I felt Dav understood writing what I wanted to read more.
Also if you're interested in anymore, the movie got a show on Netflix which has a mid to good season 1, great season 2 that expands on Melvin's character, mid season 3, mid and kinda confusing season 4 of them going to space, and two holiday specials. Also an interactive netflix special.
i notice lots of donated captain underpants books with "DELETE" and "DESTROY" written all over the cover.
That's sad
@@TravFam-m6m No, it's great. They tried to get rid of them, and failed.
I remember finding Harold and George’s fear of being separated oddly relatable, as I had a similar thing happen a few times in school but for different reasons. Kids formed friend groups that I wasn’t a part of and I felt kinda lonely, and I kinda understood why they wouldn’t want to have eachother since they both understood eachother
I always wondered why I loved the books as a kid, it all makes sense now (I am formally diagnosed with autism, adhd, and anxiety, and the autism diagnosis was since I was 5, I just never put 2 and 2 together about the books)
Edit: another childrens book character i believe is neurodivergent is rowley from diary of a wimpy kid
As a dyslexic and add man myself these were my first book series and I love these and the movies great aswell but I never knew about this great video
I was addicted to Captain Underpants when I was younger. I read every book.
I went to school for dyslexia and when dog man was introduced to us, we went crazy our school had so many of the books because all the kids love them, it really encouraged us to read
I was the most popular kid in like third grade because I would take the first book with me and let my classmates move the flip-o-rama pages. I also got the one with the evil toilet robots lololol. I remember colouring the first book with my shitty school-grade colour pencils. now my lil' bro is a fan as well because of the movie and the Netflix series.
Captain Underpants really helped me as an AuDHD and queer kid and now as a 20 yr old. I love Captain Underpants sm it’s insanity.
Man, this makes me wanna read a Wikipedia article about the franchise and buy all the first editions of the captain underpants books (cuz I don’t like reprints that have a “the book that the movie was based on” and such. Like, wtf, man?
"the book that the movie was based on"
Except it's not based on any one book. The movie is a half original story and half hodgepodge of books 1, 2, and 4.
I did *NOT* realize how early Captain Underpants came out! I thought it was at least, like, 2007 or 8!
No literally 😭
I never had the book form of the captian underpants hyperfixtation but For all of Daves other books along with the captian underpants and show, I loved dog man and still do, I’ve always adored his content. I do remember as a 3rd grader I saw in the back if the books blurb that he had adhd, and when I saw that I had one of those “oh hey look! That’s like me!” Kind of moments, I think fondly of that memory :)
I never thought that I would see captain under pants and Neurodivergence in the same sentence
Now this is the content I need
when started listing those sypmtoms i was like "aye thats me!" and "wow i relate to this so much!" was really heartwarming and awesome. Thanks fam
The inside look at Un\Cultured's childhood journals 🤯🤯🤯
Completely exposed
My younger brother got into these books before I did. I thought it was way too immature for me. Then I actually read the first book, and holy crap I was wrong. I read all the books, saw the movie, and watched all the episodes of the show. I haven't read the books in a long time, but looking back as someone with ADHD, I really appreciated how open he was about being neurodivergent and how it shaped his books.
Awesome video! Im an aspiring comic book artist, and looking back to my childhood I really think Dav and his work was foundational for cultivating a real sense of freedom and creativity. I literally have a stack of sketchbooks from when I was about 7, half full of drawings of the turbo toilet 2000 lol. Thanks for reminding me of Dav, and probably cementing the idea that my kids will 100% have this series on their shelves.
As a kid I struggled to read books, both my attention span couldn't handle it and also reading ingeneral was a struggle. My mum eventually found some books that were easy for me to read and I fell in love with them, Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and of course Captaim Underpants. The big cartoony drawings with activities, jokes, and easy to read text, with characters that I saw myself in so much as a little kid that would draw nonstop. Growing up autistic was hard, but this books made it a little bit easier.
I really appreciate a video like this, when the movie came out I'm very distinctly remember a film review where halfway through the narrator started bashing the books for their humor and the boys antics and their "holier than thou" take really has stuck with me. Silly books like these are what helped my get into reading as a kid and I especially related since I was also getting in trouble at school and neurodivergent!
Did anyone notice in the Dog-Man books there's is a character called 80-HD? (Adhd) yeah! They show up like from the 3rd book moving forward :>
I have the plushie! :D
OHHH I JUST REALIZED HIS NAME IS LITERALLY ADHD 😭
I diagnosed with ADHD 2 month ago and this books dominating book market in my country for last 2 years. I never pick up the book now this video nade me intrested. Btw new subscriber...
I really believe if this book never existed, I would not be happy today, thanks dav
Yeah, I loved the dog man draw it yourself sections, I regularly use that style nowadays even though I’m far past really wanting to read those books, and I don’t doubt that it resonated with me with my autism, I’m finding out so many things about myself after finally figuring that out, my parents knew long before me that I was probably autistic, but it’s only now that I’m really exploring what that means for me, so that’s another thing on the LONG list of things I’ve done in my life that were probably influenced by that
if these books never existed i wouldve literally never met my best friend, or if we did meet we would’ve never become as close, she introduced me to the series when we were younger and we immediately connected because of that, becoming basically inseparable so thanks captain underpants for giving me a best friend (*^ω^*)
As an autistic kid. I didn’t know why I connected to Captain Underpants so much, when I was in 4th grade my abusive teacher (who later got fired) humiliated me in front of my classmates for reading it
Oh my god you unlocked a core memory lol, I remember being put into detention for doing the flip-o-rama segment during reading time in 2nd grade
The first captain underpants book I found was the 2nd one on the bookshelf in my first grade class. I was a reader from a young age but this series really engaged me like no other. From that point on, I began to write my own comics in my notebooks. Learning that I’ve had ADHD & Autism has made Captain Underpants even more important to me, so I thank you for this great video.
This is an amazing video. Can’t wait to watch the rest of your backlog and everything you produce from here.
Much appreciated!! Working on the next project as we speak!
Dav Pilkey is the reason why I’m happy that I have ADHD
As an actually diagnosed adhd and although not fully diagnosed all phycologists and places where i got ADHD diagnosis they said i probably have autism, i genuinely loved those books because they helped me write and learn my passion for creativity
ur moms input on that story is really wholesmoe, great video!
She always encouraged my writing and is for sure the reason this channel exists today. Thanks 💘
@@unslashcultured u have a grtea mom then :)
despite being 17yo , dav pilkey's work still always fascinate me :) often see myself rereading some of the books out of boredom. (i'm not professionally diagnosed, but i've always had a feeling that i probably have autism, maybe adhd (inattentive / combined), and maybe other stuffs idk :P)
Definitely relatable. In elementary starting grade 4, I used to just draw and draw, struggled to pay attention all i wanted to do was draw and learn about cartoons and games and make animations. Around then i was diagnosed with adhd and i think it was a few years after that, autism on top of that.
Dav’s work got me through elementary I loved reading and getting inspired for my own comics I’d draw at the time.
The humour in the books is actually quite sophisticated once you get past the bathroom humour. As a neurodivergent child with a sophisticated sense of humour raised on The Simpsons, these books were so formative. It was the first time I had seen that style of comedy in a book, it changed the way I thought about writing. They are brilliant.
A lot of people may doubt you if you say you're "self-diagnosed", but I actually think it's a really helpful way to come to terms with your upbringing if you recognize some of these symptoms in yourself. I have a similar story with Matilda making me realize I'm likely autistic. Of course, it wasn't just the musical, and it was something I pondered over for a really long time, but once I realized I had bonded with this character who is coded neurodivergent that I had the courage to see these traits within myself. Once I reached that conclusion, it was like the floodgates opened. Honestly, it explains so much stuff in my life that I can't unsee it now.
I'm planning on getting an official diagnosis eventually. It's gonna be expensive and time consuming, but I know it will be worth it. Even if the answer is "no", at the very least I'm gonna have some closure on some deep-rooted stuff from my past.
I'm glad that a fictional character was able to do the same to you as it did for me. I hope you get your closure too eventually ❤
Very good video, incredibly charming and just has me going "Yeah! Yeah! This guy gets it!" The whole time. My friend shared it with me and I'm very glad because I was having a bad day before I watched it
Looking back on my childhood there are moments where I say “ooooooohhhh now it makes sense”. The fact that I so closely identified with George and Harold as a fellow “troublemaker” who made comics in class is another sign.
To be honest, it was Dav Pilkey that got me into reading, and even writing too! While Steven King is my main inspiration for writing, Dav Pilkey got me into it, especially in writing silly nonsensical stories.
Okay I wrote a lot so I am not going to read over it and check for mistakes. If you dare to read it all and you find a part that doesn't make sense or has an obvious error, I apologize.
Captain Underpants didn't just make me a reader, it made me a writer. I was always making books as a kid and I'm pretty sure that stemmed from Captain Underpants. It greatly inspired my main series that I would write as a kid: The Giant Man-Eating Man. It was as dumb, if not dumber, than Captain Underpants. It was about two brothers (one in middle school and one in high school) and this one giant man who eats people whenever he feels like it. The two boys' names were George and Simon. I didn't name one of them George because of Captain Underpants though. I just came up with that name for the character on my own. But still I think you might already be able to notice a similarity. Two kids named George and Harold with this other guy, Captain Underpants. Two kids named George and Simon with this other guy, The Giant Man-Eating Man. But there are even more similarities. The book was more or less a comic except with only one picture on every page, the type of humor is almost exactly the same and it even had flip o rama. My most recent GMEM book that I made was when I was in 6th grade and I never finished it. I happened to have been looking through it earlier today. It was called The Giant Man-Eating Man and the Terrorization of the Jurassic Booger Monster (I did not have the booger robot monster Captain Underpants books in mind this time). Who knows? Maybe I'll come back to it and finally finish it here 4 years later. I also made several awesome spin offs. Party Pooper (a dude with the ability to control poop and create it out of thin air), Potato Man (A living potato who can summon other potatoes and bring them to life), and my personal favorite, Big Bubble (a highschool kid with bubble gum powers. This one was inspired by Despicable Me 3). There were several other allies and enemies in my books. There were a couple books I started on but never finished like Lightning Bug(a girl who goes to the same school as Big Bubble. She has the ability to get small like Ant Man and she can shock people with her electric gloves, as well as use several other gadgets. She was also literally the ONLY female protagonist in my entire "superhero" universe 😭). As time went on, my books became more sophisticated. They were still just as dumb, but the stories and drawings and style were more refined. I mean, that's just how practice works + I was growing more mature than before. It was about sometime in 6th grade that I kind of lost interest in making comics and stuff. But I still held on to that creativity. Then in May of 2023 in 8th grade, I was assigned a small creative writing assignment. Once I thought of what to write, I got carried away. I soon found out that the assignment I was doing wasn't even for a grade. But by then I was too deep into what I was doing. I typed for days (it was on the computer). What was supposed to be a short ungraded writing assignment ended up being 12 pages long in Google Docs with 11 or 12 point font. I wasn't able to complete it before school ended so I emailed it to my teacher over the summer. I also showed it to everyone I knew. My mom liked it so much that she sent it to two publishing companies and they both wanted to publish it. I wrote the story purely for fun at this point but now that we had the opportunity, we decided to go through with it. To make a long story short, we hired an illustrator and got the story published. I was only 14 years old when I wrote it and 15 when it was published, and I am currently 15. It is an intentionally dumb book called The Pro Gamers and the Time Machine by Jonah Fletcher. It is currently available on Amazon for $11. There is a lot of room for improvement but for my first published book, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. To say I got all my creativity from Captain Underpants might be a big stretch but I know a lot of my spark and inspiration came from it.
If you actually read this far, I am truly impressed. Thank you
Side note: was there really same sex marriage in the last Captain Underpants book???
Dav Pilkey gets -100 aura points. Not cool bro. Not very sigma dude.
Edit: i don't know if it's worth mentioning or not but I in fact have ADD.
And I am struggling to keep my grades up because of it.
Anyway thats it
It's kinda weird how you write this emotional heart-wrenching paragraph, then towards the end you're like "gay people exist? Ew 🤢"
Anyways, I wish you luck in your journeys, hope you get more of your books published
@@YehudiNimol Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it!
@@YehudiNimolthankfully, this guy is only in 10th grade
He still has time to give the same empathy he wants to other people.
You can't get it without first giving it.
Good video. Will show to my students. This was me.
bro i had that song stuck in my head and then you just played it, goat. as a fellow undiagnosed add, have a sub
Still mad the movie never got a sequel
Interesting that this video came out only days before the dogman film trailer was released. Good timing dude!
I also thought this! Knew about the movie but had no idea the trailer was dropping. Probably explains why this video is doing better than my norm hahah!
as someone with autism that title screen at 3:50 was eerrr.. overwhelming
Dav Pilkey realllllly wanted to piss off the GOP (grumpy old people) with his final Captain Underpants book by not only including the “foul language” they complained about, but making the final book’s plot surround ADHD and casually showing that one of the main characters is canonically gay and has a husband in the future, not even addressing it, just showing it casually.
as someone who used to be a kid with autism (probably adhd as well) thank you to Dav Pilkey, for making reading fun and accecable
As someone who is neurodivergent, this book series was my everything. I have to give it props for helping lead me on to art more than I already was as a kid, as I redrew the poctures in those books thousands of times in chunky scholastic diaries I bought. Thanks, Dav!
As someone who is a huge captain underpants fan this really made me smile :)
*”Wonderful!” Red Mouse*
HOORAY FOR CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS!!!!!!!
Growing up with ADHD + dyslexia it meant so much to me to have a book with characters and an author that I can relate too .
Don't have time yet to watch this but leaving a comment anyway to help do my part as a supportive subscriber ❤
It never hurts to get a diagnosis! It really helps.
I really do not want to be a downer here, but this simply isn't universally true, especially for autistic people. Despite me probably having it, i have no plans to pursue an official diagnosis.
1- as a black masculine-presenting person, I really do not want to add another way for law enforcement to discriminate against me.
2- by virtue of being an officially diagnosed autistic person, or any kind of neurodivergent with considerable support needs, i would be at a high risk of being denied the ability to immigrate to several countries, like canada, australia, new zealand, and singapore.
This doesn't affect me, but in states trying to restrict the rights of trans people to receive transition medical care, an autism diagnosis could be an excuse to deny them that care.
I truly think your intentions are noble, but most of the time, we have a good reason why we haven't, and this can turn into negative pressure quickly.
I keep getting ads for the Dog-Man movie, and I got this video in my recommendations. It's time I re-read Captain Underpants.
I remember I used to make a bunch of drawings and comics back in school when I was supposed to be writing, and I got in a lot of trouble for them. I still made comics sometimes, but eventually got so afraid I'd get in trouble for having them that I destroyed them all. Part of me wonders how different my life could have been if my love for making comics wasn't suppressed. It's something I could never do today.
Even if I wasn’t into his books as much compared to my brother, I can say that his work is the best thing ever. My brother had such a hard time reading until he began to read dog man which was always so sweet to see :3
very good video! you are underrated!
I loved these books growing up and I love them even more knowing I’m neurodivergent.
Very brilliant video, childhood nostalgia hitting hard, i love Dav Pilky's work
I consider Dav Pilkey an anarchist genius, Captain Underpants books are great for teaching kids not to trust authority figures blindly, yet Dogman is unfournately Copganda
Reasonable vs unreasonable authority figures.
@@Mortablunt all cops are class traitors serving the PDF file bourgeoisie