Hello. Nice to e-meet you.
	Thanks. Same here.
	So, give me the history of Captain Underpants -- in brief. (good one!)
	I created Captain Underpants when I was in the second grade. I was constantly getting in trouble for being the class clown, so my teacher sent me out into the hallway to punish me. It was there in the hall that I began drawing Captain Underpants. Soon I was making my own comic books about him.
	How old were you when you first doodled a proto-Captain Underpants?
	Around 8, I think.
	Did your teachers encourage this pursuit? How about your parents?
	My teacher wasn't too fond of the Captain. One day she ripped up one of my comics and told me I'd better grow up because I couldn't spend the rest of my days making silly books. My parents were MUCH more supportive, though they honestly didn't care for the bathroom humor too much. They're still a little embarassed by it.
	Why Captain Underpants?
	Because "Captain Naked" would have been too naughty.
	How did you first come to know that kids responded to a mere mention of the name of Captain Underpants?
	Actually, my teacher gave me the inspiration. One day she happened to use the word "underpants" in class, and everybody laughed. She got mad and shouted "Underwear is NOT FUNNY!". This only made us laugh harder. At that moment, I discovered that underwear was a powerful thing: not only could it make my friends laugh, but it could make my teacher very angry. What fun!
	How similar is Jerome Horwitz Elementary to the school you attended? (Where did you grow up, by the way? How close to "Piqua, Ohio" was your hometown?)
	The way I remember it, my school was exactly like Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. I went to school in Elyria, Ohio, which is about two hours northeast of Piqua, I think.
	Were you, as a boy, rather like George and Harold? More like George or more like Harold?
	I was just like George and Harold. Harold is a little more introverted than George, and it's hard to say who I was more like. I guess it just depended on the circumstance.
	George and Harold are "behaviorally challenged" — in fact, their guidance counselor suspects they suffer from attention deficit disorder. Did you have - do you have - A.D.D.?
	Yes. I had A.D.D. I had a lot of trouble, um... what was the question again?
	How about "I.B.S.S." -- were you chronically bored in school?
	Oh yeah.
	Is Captain Underpants in any way your revenge? The Revenge of the Underappreciated, Overmedicated Child Genius?
	That's a nice way of looking at it.
	Do you write these "epic novels" with readers of any particular age - or gender — in mind? Do you consciously write for kids, for example, who are of the age where just hearing a word like "pantyhose" - let alone the name of the planet Uranus - makes them choke with laughter?
	Actually I write these books to make my girlfriend laugh. She's always the first one to read the stories. If she thinks they're funny, I know I've done well.
	Why so much "potty" humor in these books?
	I don't know... because it still cracks me up, I guess.
	What do you say to parents - and I understand some have complained - who claim your books encourage crude, bathroom humor?
	I don't say anything to them. I just stick out my tongue and make rude noises.
	What about another parental complaint: That your books encourage kids to be disrespectful - that Captain Underpants turns kids into smarty pants?
	For that one, I usually just cup my left hand into my right armpit and pump my right arm up and down, creating a lovely flatulence noise.
	And the final, perhaps most serious criticism: That the books give kids ideas for "acting out" - disrupting class, vandalizing school property?
	Do you notice a trend here? Grown-ups do a lot of complaining! To be serious for a moment, I almost never hear complaints like that. I get thousands of letters each year from teachers and librarians who use these books in their schools, and with the exception of two or three letters, they've all been very positive. The thing I hear over and over again, is how grateful educators are that these books have turned their kids on to reading.
	What was your reaction when the elementary school in Connecticut banned your books for that reason? Is it any kind of badge of honor for you, having your book on the list of once-banned books, alongside Catcher in the Rye and Huckleberry Finn?
	I had a mixed reaction. On the one hand, I liked the free publicity. But on the other hand, I felt bad that people were attacking my books and my characters.
	Are the rather sorry lot of grown-ups in the books based on any actual grown-ups? You may wish to consult with an attorney before you answer.
	I guess I should probably say "no comment".
	Principal Krupp is folically challenged, and wears a toupee. Is this in "honor" of anyone you know or knew with a toupee - or are toupees just inherently funny to kids (and quite a few adults...)?
	No. I don't really find the toupee that funny... it's really more of a way to disguise Captain Underpants's alter ego (kind of like when Superman puts on glasses and instantly becomes Clark Kent).
	The gym teacher in the stories is named Mr. Meaner. Just how much DID you hate gym class as a kid?
	I still wake up screaming.
	Do you think most grown-ups are, in fact and regularly, hypocritical - or do you think they just seem that way to kids?
	Both.
	Many of the joking asides in the books are fairly sophisticated - from references to Miss Anthrope, the principal's secretary, to knowing remarks about manipulating suspension of disbelief. Do kids get these jokes? Does it matter if they don't?
	I've learned early on to never underestimate the sense of humor of a kid. But does it matter if a joke flies over a kid's head? No. As long as my girlfriend thinks it's funny, it stays.
	You've created a kind of anti-pantheon of nemeses and villains: Dr. Diaper, the Talking Toilets, the alien cafeteria ladies, the Dandelion of Doom - and of course, Professor Poopypants. What are the crucial characteristics of a good bad guy?
	World domination should be a goal... and a funny name doesn't hurt.
	Was there any particular inspiration for the "name game" in Poopypants?
	No. I just thought it'd be funny.
	Did the other kids make fun of you for any reason when you were a kid? Any teases about your last name? (As an aside, you can probably imagine what I got with "Nissen" - which rhymes with "kissin" and various other less savory bodily functions...)
	Oh yeah! Like most kids, I was teased constantly. Many of my former classmates will always remember me as "David Puke-ey".
	All four Captain Underpants books are a near-even mix of text and illustration. How important is that to their "readability" - do you think the illustrations literally draw kids into the books?
	I had a lot of reading problems growing up. It used to take me forever to read and comprehend stuff, so I decided not to make the Captain Underpants books TOO challenging. Don't get me wrong, the humor and ideas are often pretty sophisticated, but the books aren't hard to read. I wanted kids who hate reading to find these books irresistible.
	Have you heard any kind of feedback about the popularity of the Capt. Underpants books among previously reluctant young readers? What have school librarians, and parents - and young readers themselves - told you?
	I get a lot of "thank yous" from parents and teachers. They usually tell me how the books have gotten even their most reluctant readers excited about reading. Some kids who never read a book before are finishing these books all by themselves. That's pretty cool.
	Have you ever had the chance to watch a group of boys read through these books? Do they laugh aloud? Read passages out loud to their friends, parents, strangers passing by?
	I haven't witnessed it personally. I don't get out much.
	Each book contains one of George and Harold's comic book adventures of Captain Underpants - crudely drawn, and full of misspellings. Some parents and teachers have complained about the misspelling - although I noticed that a word misspelled in one of the comic books ("principel," for example) appears spelled correctly elsewhere in the story. Is that deliberate?
	The comics within the books are written and illustrated by two fourth graders. It wouldn't be realistic if they used perfect grammar, punctuation and spelling, would it? Do you think it's possible that those complaining grown-ups have forgotten what it was like to be a kid and have a sense of humor?
	Have you ever heard about kids searching through the books, and making a game of finding the misspelled words? (Full disclosure: that's what my 8-year-old nephew did).
	Haven't heard that one. Sounds like your nephew needs a hobby.
	I also noticed some fairly challenging vocabulary in the books. Do you make a special effort to salt the stories with "Increase Your Word Power" words?
	Not really.
	Speaking of what you do and don't imbed in these books, is there a "moral to the story" in Captain Underpants adventures? Do you make an effort to teach any life lessons? (Even small life lessons, such as "read the directions," on 3-D Hyno-Rings and other things you might use?)
	No, I try not to bog the books down with didacticism. But I do feel that there's an underlying goodness and morality to each book. George and Harold may be mischievous, but they're also kind, brave, and good-hearted boys.
	Now, about the Flip-O-Rama - what inspired them? Could there be any less expensive, lower-tech way to make these books "interactive"?
	I used to make Flip-O-Rama's with my friends when I was back in school. We called them "Flip Actions" back then. I always thought it'd be funny to try an put them in a book. My hope is that kids all across the world will start making Flip-O-Ramas themselves. Hey, that might be a good hobby for your nephew!
	Is Flip-O-Rama part of any devious plot on your part to encourage rudimentary experimentation with the basics of animation? (A side question, just because I'm curious: are you an anime fan, by any chance? I spent two months in Japan at the end of last year on a Japan Society Fellowship, doing a media study of anime and the Japanese animation industry. If you are a fellow otaku, I send especial greetings.)
	No devious plots here. It's just fun. But on a personal note, I'm not a big anime fan, but I do love Japanese Kaiju. Just put a guy in a rubber monster suit and have him stomp through some cardboard cities... I'll be there!
	Should fans of these books watch for a more fully animated version of Captain Underpants - Captain Underpants: The Cartoon?
	No.
	When can fans expect the next episode, "Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman"?
	Probably sometime next year.
	Space here for a shameless plug for your new Ricky Ricotta series for younger children:
	Read RICKY RICOTTA'S GIANT ROBOT! It fights bad breath, gets rid of "ring around the collar", and leaves your toilet bowl smelling as fresh as a morning breeze!
	all these questions. Did answering them take you away from writing anything new? Is there another Dav Pilkey epic in the making?
	Yep. I'm working on Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman right now.
	And near the close here, can you confirm a few previously-published facts about yourself? —That your first name is pronounced like "Dave" but spelled without the "e"?
	Yes. I got the name back in 1986 when I was a waiter at Pizza Hut. They tried to make a name tag for me, but the label maker wasn't working properly. Instead of printing "Dave", it printed "Dav". The name stuck.
	Is "Dav" your real name, by the way?
	No. It's David.
	—That you are 34?
	Yep.
	—That you live in the Seattle area?
	Yep.
	—That you live with a little dog named Little Dog?
	Yep.
	—That you are not in fact a real person, but a "composite" personality, concocted by an especially clever group of 4th graders who live in the Seattle area, and don't know how to spell "Dave."
	No comment.
	So then why DO you agree to do interviews only via e-mail? (Does my being a network television reporter have anything to do with it? Was the name "Chim-Chim Diaperbrains," given to an Eyewitness News reporter in Book 4, any indication as to what you think of television reporters?)
	I have nothing at all against reporters. I just have a bad habit of saying dumb stuff when I give live interviews. Plus, with e-mail, I can let me publicist answer all of these questions for me. You don't really believe this is ME, do you?
	One last personal question for you - boxers or briefs?
	As long as they have dinosaurs on 'em , I don't care!
	It's been a pleasure. I look forward to getting your insightful and hilarious answers by return e-mail.
	Thanks. It's been fun.

Lumpy Rhinochunks
(Beth Nissen)
Senior Correspondent
CNN Interactive

P.S. To my delight - and that of the select group of 31 collelagues with whom I've shared this - I figured out that under a Poopypants regime, my boss Ted Turner would be re-christened "Falafel Gerbilbuns."