What Is an Imaginary Friend?
Imaginary friends can be other children, mythical creatures, animals, a toy that has come to life, or any other kind of imaginary companion. Creating a buddy is something fun for them to do, especially because these companions are always available to play with them.
Turns out the majority of kids between 2-7 years old have an imaginary friend.
In one study, 57% of imaginary friends were human, 41% were animals, and some were a combination or even an object the child animated.
Why do children have Imaginary Friends?
Your child might create an imaginary companion to:
- Listen to and support them
- Play with them
- Do things that they can’t do
- Be someone special that only belongs to them
- Be someone who doesn’t judge or find fault in them
Are Imaginary Friends a Good Thing?
Children who have imaginary friends are less likely to be shy or struggle with loneliness. One of the benefits of imaginary friends is that kids also tend to be more creative and confident than kids who don’t have make-believe friends.
Another benefit of imaginary friends is the insight it gives you into your child’s mind. By watching your child interact with an invisible friend, you can learn more about what they think, what they feel, what they like, and what they don’t like.
- Creativeoutlet: They provide a fun and imaginative space for children to explore ideas and express themselves.
- Emotional development: Imaginary friends can offer a safe space for children to process complex emotions and feelings, building emotional resilience.
- Social skills practice: Children can use their imaginary companions to practice social interactions like conversation, negotiation, and compromise in a low-stakes environment.
- Problem-solving skills: Engaging with imaginary friends can encourage divergent thinking, creative problem-solving, and decision-making.
- Increased empathy: Imaginary friends can help children develop a better understanding of others' perspectives and feelings.
- Coping mechanism: Imaginary friends can help children navigate difficult transitions, cope with loneliness, or process stressful situations.
Back in 2018, my cofounder and best friend Lex and I were talking about how my infant daughter Evie received all these grey bunnies and brown Teddys as gifts. We are both 80s babies. We grew up with super creative and weird shows and toys like Labyrinth and Fraggle Rock. Where was all the cool stuff for our kids?
We couldn't find any. So we created our first character Ollie the Oddball Oddbird in super neon colors, with off proportions and googley eyes.
Lex is a writer and created a backstory for Inklings as imaginary friends that each baby imagines into existence from the amazing world of Inktopia.
(Lex herself had quite a few imaginary friends growing up. Her favorite and most prominent friend being Bobby Louis.)
So the concept of imaginary friends and how important they are to a child's creativity and development is the foundation of Inklings.
Each Inkling is a mix of different animals, slightly strange and super special.
Let your toddler pick out their favorite, or collect them all and learn about all the characters and babies from around the world and their stories.