Roobarb (also known as Roobarb and Custard) is an animated children's television series, created by Grange Calveley and originally shown on BBC1 just before the evening news. Each cartoon of the original series, written by Calveley and directed by Bob Godfrey, was about five minutes long. Thirty episodes were made, and it was first shown on 21 October 1974. The theme is that of the friendly rivalry between Roobarb, a seven-year-old green dog with an overactive imagination, and Custard, the mischievous eight-year-old pink cat from next door.

The series later spawned a revival in 2005, which aired on Channel 5's Milkshake block. The narration of both series was provided by the actor Richard Briers. On 17 February 2013, Briers died, followed four days later by animator Godfrey.

Roobarb is a green dog, and Custard is a pink cat. Roobarb is always involved in some kind of misadventure which he approaches with unbounded enthusiasm. Custard is cynical and sets out to sabotage Roobarb's fun. Which one comes out on top varies from episode to episode. Other characters in the series are the birds, who watch the antics of the other two from the safety of a nearby tree, often making snide remarks, and siding with whoever is winning. There is also a rather timid, pink mouse as well as the Sun and the Moon, who are depicted as sentient and able to talk to the other characters.

The series is animated in a deliberately rough style, using marker pens and a very sketchy drawing technique, so that the pictures are constantly "shaking". This effect, known to animators as "boiling", gives an energetic character to the show, and was a contrast to the slick, smooth colouring of the American Hanna-Barbera shows that were being shown on British television. The series was voiced by actor Richard Briers and the theme tune was written by Johnny Hawksworth for de Wolfe Music. It was the first fully animated television series to be made in the United Kingdom. The series was later shown in reruns on the American children's television series Eureeka's Castle on Nickelodeon, with an American dub.

The cartoon was a success, greatly loved by children and adults alike, and winning numerous awards. The series was also known for its eccentric use of quirky word play and sight gags.

A new series titled Roobarb and Custard Too debuted on Channel 5 on 8 August 2005. Like the original series, it was written by Grange Calveley and narrated by Richard Briers, though Bob Godfrey and Johnny Hawksworth did not return for this series. The revival introduced a large number of other animal characters who also got involved in Roobarb's schemes. It was produced by Adam Sharp and Bernadette O'Riordan for A&B TV, and directed by Jason Tammemagi; the animation was by the Irish company Monster Animation & Design (now Geronimo Productions). The revival used flash animation, but kept the "wobbly" look and plain white backgrounds from the original series. The music for the revival was by Jon Atkinson. 39 episodes were made and clocked in at 7 minutes.

Roobarb A green dog with a shaggy tail, two hairs each on the side of his head and a wild imagination. He's fond of bones, adventure, inventing and also seems to eat various things like coal, paper, books, chairs, shoes, holes in carpets, trees. Despite being short-tempered, Roobarb is usually very good-hearted and seems friendly to everyone he meets. He loves performing shows and is often helpful.

His rival is Custard, his next door neighbour. Roobarb lives in a small cosy house, sleeps in a basket and seems to get on well with his rent free life. He's not always very bright, but is always curious. Although anthropomorphic, Roobarb does usually run and walk on all fours, barks like a dog and even has his own dog bowl for water. Roobarb is always deep in thoughts, usually for long hours until a plan has been thought. Roobarb thinks he's brave and handsome. He's usually always cheerful, optimistic, inventive and curious.