In Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book, Baloo, the fictional "sleepy old brown bear", teaches the cubs of the Seeonee wolf pack the Law of the Jungle . His most challenging pupil is the "man-cub" Mowgli; despite Bagheera's objections he sometimes finds it necessary to use corporal punishment against Mowgli, although when called upon to defend the man-cub against the Bandar-log he does not hesitate.

In Disney's TaleSpin, Baloo is a pilot.

"Baloo" is also the pen name of cartoonist Rex F. May.