Can We Guess Your Imaginary Friend's Name?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Can We Guess Your Imaginary Friend's Name?
Image: PeopleImages/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Imaginary friends are a phenomenon going back thousands of years. Ancient people had their share of imaginary friends, usually in the form of some sort of supernatural entity, like gods and spirits. Today, we see imaginary friends in a much more clinical way.

There tend to be two kinds of imaginary friends: the ones children have, and the ones adults have. Children often have imaginary friends, a totally normal part of the development of the imagination, and some studies suggest that imaginary friends help kids build social and linguistic skills, helping development. Imaginary friends take many forms for children. The imaginary friends adults keep are very different. Adults' imaginary friends, while sometimes a holdover from childhood, are more often than not a form of a clinical problem, or serious issue in life.

Some imaginary friends are idealized versions of the self; a goal to which children aspire. Some are just representations of the kindness children want for themselves, that perhaps they feel is missing from their real-world friends or siblings. Some are essentially alibis who children blame for wrongdoing like breaking household objects or stealing from the cookie jar. What imaginary friends one has and the form they take can be influenced by the people in their lives, and even their birth order, if they have siblings.

Answer some questions for us, and we will guess the name of your imaginary friend!

What did your folks think of your real friends?
They thought they were naughty.
They loved my friends.
I think my parents liked them more than me.
They thought they were great but didn't give me the respect I deserved.
How do you think your relationship with your imaginary friend influenced your career as an adult?
I think my imaginary friend taught me to be a skeptic.
My imaginary friend helped me to unleash my creativity in a controlled way.
My imaginary friend gave me the bravery to talk to anyone.
My imaginary friend gave me the discipline to deal with stressful situations.
How has your relationship with your imaginary friend shaped your friendships with real people as an adult?
I find myself trusting people less than I might otherwise.
I'm much more open with people as a result of our friendship.
I find I expect a lot of people as a result, but they usually rise to the occasion.
People say I'm very respectful of others like it's a weird thing.

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Did your imaginary friend have friends other than you?
Yes, but they were all imaginary too. My imaginary friend would use them to get out of being blamed for things by blaming them.
No
Yeah, and they were all really cool.
They were also friends with my parents.
How often did you spend time with your imaginary friend?
We'd see each other a couple of times every week.
We hung out every day.
We would spend time together during the sports season.
Once every two weeks or so
At what skill did your imaginary friend excel?
Theft
Building
Networking
Organizing

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What kinds of things did you like to do with your friends when you were in elementary school?
We would prank the other kids.
We would draw together.
We would write about the cool people we met.
We would make chores fun.
Did your imaginary friend live with you, or were they just visiting?
They lived in another dimension.
They lived nearby, but not with me.
They lived very far away.
They lived in my bedroom.
Did your imaginary friend have any special powers?
They could turn invisible, like a ninja!
They could teleport.
No, nothing supernatural
They had an astonishing memory and they seemed to know everything!

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What quality did your imaginary friend have that your childhood friends did not have?
They were smarter.
They always had time for me.
They were cooler.
They were interested in making not-fun things fun!
What adventures did you and your imaginary friend enjoy together?
We saved the President from assassins!
We painted a masterpiece on the side of an ugly building in my neighborhood!
We rocked out all night long at an Oscars after-party.
We played at Carnegie Hall and got six standing ovations.
If your imaginary friend were to have a job, what job would it be?
Social Media "Influencer"
Magician
Sports agent
Educator

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What was your imaginary friend's opinion on your family?
They were very much on my side about things.
They thought my home and family were a bit boring.
They wanted me to come out on top of my siblings.
They wanted to help out when my parents weren't around.
Who else shared a relationship with your imaginary friend?
Their spouse and family
No one
Barry Bonds
The Secretary of Education, at the time
How did time spent with your imaginary friend shape your creative pursuits?
I don't know, but I'm not very creative.
It gave me permission to really "go for it."
It pointed me in the direction of business, where I use my creativity in areas not usually deemed creative.
It got me into very structured creative pursuits, like playing musical instruments.

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What was the most mundane circumstance in which you would hang out with your imaginary friend?
We'd sneak out to eat cookies while I was supposed to be doing my homework.
We'd talk during long car rides.
We'd watch TV together.
We'd talk on my way to school, to prepare me for tests.
How would you describe the relationship you have with your siblings?
Strained
Nonexistent
We're on good terms, now.
Very close
Other than you, with whom did your imaginary friend spend time?
I don't know, but I know they spent time with other people.
No one
Famous people
Wizards and princesses

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How many siblings did you have growing up?
One
None
Two
Three or more
What criticisms did your parents have of your imaginary friend?
My imaginary friend had to stop being naughty, or else I would get blamed.
My imaginary friend was monopolizing my time.
My imaginary friend took away time from practicing for Little League.
None, really
Did you have lot of friends when you were little?
I had plenty of friends.
Just a couple
I had a solid circle of five or so.
Not many, no

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How strict was your upbringing?
Very
Not at all
Extremely
Very strict in some ways, very relaxed in others
Where are you in the birth order of your siblings?
Second
It's not applicable.
Third / Other
First
Over what did you and your childhood friends quarrel?
Who could play video games
Halloween candy trading
Who was "the best" at things, in music, sports, etc.
We didn't, really.

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What activity did you and your imaginary friend usually engage in together?
Sneaking into castles
Designing the world's tallest building
Winning the World Series
Accepting the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Was your imaginary friend into many things you weren't?
Oh, yeah. They were into everything.
Not many things, no.
No, we were into all the same stuff.
They were into things I was supposed to be into, and they got me into those things, in time.
When did you experience a rocky patch with your childhood friends?
Middle school
Elementary school
High school
I didn't have a rocky patch with them.

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How do you think having an imaginary friend benefited you?
I don't know if it did.
I have a pretty balanced personality.
It helped me out of my shell.
It was a gentle hand when I couldn't rely on a parent to be there.
How old was your imaginary friend?
Only a few years older than me
They were not a minor.
They were just a kid like me.
They were sort of ageless, like a fantasy creature.
Approximately how old were you the last time you spent time with your imaginary friend?
6
8
13
10

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You Got: