This article is about the character in the Winnie-the-Pooh series. For the real-world animal, see kangaroo.

In the fictional world of the book series Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne, Roo is a young joey (a baby kangaroo) who is a good friend of Winnie-the-Pooh. He's Kanga's son and Tigger's best friend. He lives with Kanga in a house near the Sandy Pit in the northwestern part of the Hundred Acre Wood. Tigger later comes to live with them.

Roo constantly gets in trouble but he always learns his lesson. He is cheerful and enthusiastic, taking great joy in discovering the small wonders in life. He is also curious, fun, and loving; he looks at the world in a loving and sympathetic way. When speaking, Roo tends to use exclamations and frequently repeats himself in his excitement, like many small children. Roo is too young to know how to read or write, as evidenced by the fact that he signs the "rissolution" for Christopher Robin with a SMUDGE instead of any attempt at letters.

Roo is the youngest of the characters in the book. Because of his young age, Roo is a very small animal, probably the smallest in the story, although he must be very close in size to Piglet since Kanga is unable to tell the difference when Piglet jumps into her pouch instead of Roo. (In Ernest H. Shepard's illustrations, Roo appears to be very slightly smaller than Piglet.) He is also apparently small enough to fall down mouse holes while practicing jumps, and too small to reach the first rail of the Poohsticks bridge.

Like most of the characters in Winnie-the Pooh, Roo was based on one of Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed toys. The illustrations show Roo with brown fur and an upturned tail.

Roo and his mother, Kanga, come the Forest "in the usual way" in Chapter VII of Winnie-the-Pooh. He also appears in Chapter VIII, is mentioned in Chapter IX, and appears again in Chapter X of that book. In The House at Pooh Corner, Roo appears in chapters II, IV, VI, VII, IX, and X, and is mentioned in a few others. Some of the adventures that Roo experiences include being "kidnapped" by Rabbit, accompanying the Expotition to the North Pole (and getting an impromptu swimming lesson), attending Christopher Robin's party for Pooh, getting stuck in a tree with Tigger, and playing Poohsticks.

Unlike many of the other characters in the Pooh books, Roo does not have a known favorite food, although his mother makes him watercress sandwiches on occasion. He definitely does NOT like the extract of malt that his mother gives him as "strengthening medicine" after meals, though he will reluctantly take it.

Some of Roo's friends include Tigger, Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, his mother Kanga, Owl, and Christopher Robin.

Disney cartoon version

Roo in Pooh's Heffalump Movie.

Roo also appears in the Disney cartoon versions of the Winnie the Pooh stories. He has been voiced by Clint Howard in the movies The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!.

In the cartoons, Roo is the smallest of the regularly appearing characters. He has brown fur and wears a light blue shirt. He often expresses thoughts and feelings that make him seem wiser than his years.

Kingdom Hearts version

Roo appears in the game Kingdom Hearts along with Tigger as a tutor on bouncing.