Dav Pilkey’s Monster Island and Cryptozoic Announce Partnership to Create Dog Man Playpaks
Best-Selling Dog Man Book Series by Dav Pilkey Enters the World of Playpaks with Cards Featuring Activities, Stickers, Standees, and Mini-Games
Laguna Hills, CA — February 9, 2026 — Dav Pilkey’s Monster Island and Cryptozoic Entertainment, a leading creator of tabletop games, trading cards, and collectibles, today announced a new partnership to create trading card products based on the best-selling Dog Man book series by Dav Pilkey. The partnership was brokered by The Joester Loria Group, exclusive global licensing agent for Dav Pilkey and Monster Island.
Dog Man Playpaks will feature trading cards packed with playful activities, stickers, standees, mini-games, and more, all inspired by Dog Man’s many adventures. Each five-card Playpaks pack in the first release showcases Dav Pilkey’s iconic artwork from the first two books in the series, Dog Man and Dog Man Unleashed. In the future, additional Playpaks releases are planned to cover the entire Dog Man series.
Since its launch to critical acclaim in August 2016, Dog Man has become a global phenomenon, with more than 70 million copies in print and translations into 50 languages worldwide. In the United States, every installment in the series has reached the #1 spot on national bestseller lists.
“This partnership brings together the imaginative world of Dog Man with the excitement and collectability of trading cards,” said Jackie DeMaio, Senior Licensing Director, Joester Loria Group. “We’re thrilled to create a new way for fans to engage with beloved characters through a format that celebrates storytelling, creativity, and fun.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Dav Pilkey and his team to bring the heroic, often hilarious adventures of Dog Man to the world of Playpaks,” said Shahriar Fouladi, CEO of Cryptozoic Entertainment. “Each card is designed to be packed with fun, featuring artwork of Dog Man, Petey, the Chief, Flippy, and other fan-favorite characters. Dog Man is a big deal in my household, so we’re putting a lot of care and creativity into making this a supa cool product for fans everywhere.”
Dog Man Playpaks: Series 1 is scheduled to release in spring 2026, with additional sets to be announced.
About Dog Man
The Dog Man books explore multi-generational family and champion empathy and doing good. The series follow the hilarious and heartwarming adventures of the “Supa Buddies”: Dog Man, a lovable canine superhero, and his friends Li’l Petey, a curious kitten who embodies love, optimism, and hope, and 80-HD, a robot who expresses himself best through his art. The series explores universally positive messages including kindness, compassion, and striving to become a better version of one’s self, while it also tackles more complex themes including death, shared custody, and forgiveness.
About Dav Pilkey
When Dav Pilkey was in second grade, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and what is now widely known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Because of his learning and behavioral issues in school, he was often sent out in the hallway. It was in his elementary school hallway where he created comic books about superheroes that eventually became Captain Underpants and Dog Man. Pilkey’s blockbuster phenomenon Dog Man released in 2016 has more than 70 million copies in print to date, translations in 50 languages, and is one of the bestselling graphic novel series of all time. The hit movie adaptation of Dog Man was recently released by DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures featuring the voices of Pete Davidson, Isla Fisher, Lil Rel Howery, and Ricky Gervais. Cat Kid Comic Club series, a spin-off of Dog Man which highlights how lessons in creativity often reflect lessons in real life, is also a #1 worldwide bestseller with more than 12 million copies in print and translations in 28 languages to date. Dav’s first graphic novel, The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, was published 23 years ago and became an instant national bestseller. Dav Pilkey has created over 75 books for children and was awarded a Caldecott Honor for his picture book The Paperboy. For more information about Dav Pilkey and his books, visit https://mediaroom.scholastic.com/davpilkey.
About Cryptozoic Entertainment
Since 2010, Cryptozoic Entertainment has been dedicated to the concept of “Fans First,” striving to develop the most creative and sought-after products for pop culture enthusiasts worldwide. As an entertainment company with a diverse portfolio of licensed and original IPs, its catalog covers a broad spectrum of tabletop games and collectibles. The passionate team at Cryptozoic aims to inspire gamers and collectors all around the globe, while bringing fans together as part of the Cryptozoic community. Visit www.cryptozoic.com for more information and sign up for the company’s Mailing List to receive the Fans First Newsletter and updates about products and events.
Media Contact:
press@cryptozoic.com
Cryptozoic.com - facebook.com/cryptozoic - twitter.com/cryptozoic
instagram.com/cryptozoicentertainment - tiktok.com/@cryptozoicentertainment
© 2016-2026 © Dav Pilkey. All rights Reserved.
Based on the DOG MAN® series by Dav Pilkey, published by Graphix/Scholastic Inc.
DOG MAN and related designs are registered trademarks or trademarks
of Dav Pilkey in the U.S. and other countries.
Licensed by arrangement with Monster Island, LLC.
Licensed and manufactured by Cryptozoic Entertainment. | 23212 Mill Creek Dr., Suite 300, Laguna Hills, CA 92653. All rights reserved.