childhood imaginary friend theme

A child has a friend who is entirely a figment of their imagination.

Examples

Clara's imaginary friend Isabelle became real thanks to a mischievous incorporeal alien in tng5x22 "Imaginary Friend".

10 total · 3 choice · 6 major · 1 minor

StoryLevelMotivation
ahh3x13 choice Nell thought her niece, Eva, had imaginary friends (Mingo, Mr. Peppercorn, and Sam), like kids do.
ahp6x15 choice The nine-year-old girl Katie's imaginary friend turned, in fact, out to be the spirit of a Puritan girl who died in 1694. The entire plot of the story hinged on Katie's parents' concern about their daughter's condition, and whether a child psychiatrist or an exorcist should be engaged.
tz1985e2x02a choice The strange entity Mike was like an imaginary friend to Jeff.
movie: The Shining (1980) major Danny had an imaginary friend named Tony, although Tony might in fact have been something else (this is not wholly clear).
nightgallery2x07b major The slime monster may have been Brenda's imaginary friend that became real for a while.
rbt1985e5x02 major It seemed as if Mink had an imaginary friend, named Drill, throughout most of the story. It turned out that Drill was real, and a space alien to boot.
shortstory: The Celestial Omnibus (1911) major The boy's new friends might have been imaginary.
tftc1989e6x04 major Nelson retained his brash imaginary friend from childhood, Eddie, even in adult life.
tng5x22 major Clara Sutter :: Clara had Isabella as an imaginary friend
as1985e2x11 minor Although the explanation turned out to be otherwise, it seemed for a while that the mustachioed man that popped in and out of existence was a figment of Jonah's imagination.