Tell us your stories of imaginary friends and win Moone Boy goodies!

I had an imaginary friend when I was a small child. Her name was Mrs Kershaw. I remember her so vividly and can still "see" her face if I close my eyes. Mrs Kershaw was a very well spoken lady of perhaps about 70. She wore a string of pearls, (the very height of sophistication to a child like me) a tweed skirt and a twin set. She carried a basket with a small kitten in it. She was my friend and guardian angel. She was the "person" I spoke to when I was lonely or upset. I shared all my problems with her and she never tired of listening. One of my most vivid memories of my friend is sitting at the very top of my grandmas stairs and my uncle trying to squeeze past to get to the bathroom. I remember going into hysterics as my dear uncle had stood on Mrs Kershaw who was sitting right next to me. My poor uncle didn't know what on earth he had done to make me so upset until my dear grandma explained. My dear uncle was ever so careful after that, always asked after her and to his credit never laughed or doubted that she was very real. No-one knows where the name came from and no-one in the family can remember a "real" Mrs Kershaw,so the choice of name is puzzling. My mum told me recently that Mrs Kershaw came to my sisters christening and I was insistant that a space was left for her in the church pew. Sadly Mrs Kershaw must have packed her basket and left all of a sudden as I remember searching my grandmas house for her (I would have been about 6 or 7) and she was gone.

My youngest GD had an imaginary friend called Millie and she shared many adventures with her. Millie's mum was always inviting GD to sleepovers and they all baked cakes together. Since she started school I haven't heard her mention Millie very often, I think she may have been inventing her own social life as her sister was doing the activities for real.

My imaginary friend was Gretchen, who lived in my granny's kitchen range. She had blonde plaits and came out of the range to talk to me when I was round at granny's house. I guess she became homeless when the old range was dismantled!

My daughter called her imaginary friend Teddy Robinson, she talked about him for maybe 6 months when she was about 4. Then she started saying Teddy Robinson was giving her nightmares, so we had to distract her.

sallyC06 My kids loved the "Teddy Robinson" books. Perhaps your daughter got the name from hearing a story.

www.goodreads.com/book/show/2006463.The_Teddy_Robinson_Storybook

I must dig some out for my DGS.

I had an imaginary friend called David when I was very young and always insisted that a place at table was set for him, next to me. If David didn't like something on the plate then neither did I and nothing would make me eat it. My elder sister tells me that David was getting to be more and more of a nuisance with what he (and I) wouldn't do so she made a rag doll out of a pillowslip and told me that was David and he had to go away on business. Apparently I accepted that and off he went, never to return.

My Ds had an imaginary dog called Muss when he was about 3 but that's another story!

Mine was Peter Pan! Every bed time he came calling and we would have wonderful flying adventures until I fell asleep.

Between about 4 and 6 years old I had an imaginary friend called Bigus. ((My parents told me afterwards they thought I got the name from describing things as "big as " something) Bigus played with me in the garden and went out with me. Her friend, who sometimes accompanied us was Mary, the girl in the desk! Always given the full title! We had great fun! I think the desk idea came from the local shop, where a lady sat at a desk to count the takings! She often talked to me. I was an only child and these imaginary friends were important to me. I wonder if it is often only children who have imaginary friends.

I had an imaginary friend called Finchy. I don't know where I got the name from. My three year old granddaughter has two imaginary friends, Tom and Lily. Again, these are names she hasn't come across in real life. Little ghosts perhaps?

Had a sort of imaginary friend, one that would seem to metamorphosize to fit the occasion .... it was back during the days of my lone walks to and from primary school ... I would be the spaceship commander navigating through an asteroid field, or a superhero in a race against time with the baddies, or a detective trying to solve a complicated mystery, or a Formula 1 driver racing in the championship decider .... my imaginary friend would be my co-pilot - he (it was usually a 'he') would puzzle over the mystery/clues with me, would be 'someone' to explain my plans to. And he would be someone to sound off to, would totally understand me, never get tired of listening to me, he would agree with my decisions (or disagree if I was having a crisis of conscience).

Oh, those were the days ....

DS1 had an imaginary friend called 'Gloomy'. He seemed to appear mostly on visits to the park, when he needed space to sit on a bench or swing. DS1 was a happy enough child so I don't know why the friend was Gloomy.

My oldest GD had an imaginary friend called Zoe. Being a person of little imagination myself I found this fascinating and I was always excited when she appeared. I really enjoyed playing along.
Sometimes I was in the way, I couldn't sit on the swing next to GD because Zoe was sitting there.
When GD was about seven Zoe's age began to change, one day the same as GD, the next sixteen or so, then back again.
My GD is eleven now and Zoe is there very rarely

I had a cousin-an only child-who had an invisible friend called Christopher. We were all aware of him and he had to have a place at the table. I was bridesmaid to my cousin and, by then, Christopher was no longer mentioned. . . Am intrigued if it it is more prevalent in only children?

I'm one of five Newquay but am in between two brothers, one seven years younger and one 6 years older. I was the baby of the family when David was my imaginary friend. The two eldest were 12 and 10 years older than me so maybe I was a bit like an only child as I didn't have a sibling close in age.

Back in the 1950's, my youngest sister had an imaginary friend. His name was Billy. My mother had to set a place at the table for Billy, but never gave him any food! Eventually, when my sister had outgrown him, my mother asked where Billy was. My sister replied that he had gone to live with his granny in a neighbouring town, and that was the last we ever heard of him.

I think I had an overdeveloped sense of responsibility as a child. I didn't have an imaginary friend but I had five pretend children.

I can't remember much about them now except that the eldest was called Pauline and the second eldest was called Malachi and only had a vest to wear which was a worry.

Things came to a head one day when my parents and I were stepping off a bus in the city centre. They had to wait while I lifted all five of the pretend children off the bus. People were watching and smiling.

My mum went ballistic (she wasn't the sort to be into child physiology.) She said they had to go or I would be put into a home for disturbed children.

A few months later I took all the children to the end of the garden and ran for it slamming the back door when I got inside.

Mum asked me what was going on and when I told her she was very pleased and said
"Thank God for that."

I must admit I was relieved too and hoped that the children had found a good home to live in. I missed them a bit and invented a pretend dog and cat which mum said was much healthier.

I was an only child when I was evacuated to my grandparents in Sale, for most of a year, in 1943....
What I had - and only,I think, when I was there - were lots of other Alies to play with!

Please forgive me for being so synacal but is this all about giving the writers lots of ideas so that they can then go along after pinching ideas and write loads of books and make lots of money thanks to Gransnetters ideas and all er get is a goodie bag!

I know how it all works. I have been in this world and ideas get pinched all of the time by the best broadcasting companies.

I am enjoying these stories! My youngest DS had an imaginary friend for short while, for some reason he was called "Onion"

Parcs that is a rather cynical attitude, you could end up thinking that any exchange of ideas might lead to someone taking some sort of advantage.

parcs that did occur to me as well but what can we do. I don't want a Goodie bag but I am enjoying reading the stories.

My son had an imaginary dragon and we worked out that it was the dragon from the Rupert Bear books.

Being raised RC I had a Guardian Angel obsession for awhile and used to budge up on my school bench so the angel could sit down.

I had an imaginary pony called Fury, and would spend hours building stables and show jumps on the back lawn. I wouldn't walk 'properly' when out with my mum, preferring to trot, canter or gallop, shying at imaginary goblins for some odd reason!
This was from about 4 to 8 years old.

My mum said I was an over imaginative child, 'seeing' people when there was no one there too.... I remember a witch living in the corner of the living room and she would wave at me!

No wonder I chose LoopyLou as my username!!

If we all thought like Parcs (just noticed that is "scrap" reversed) no-one woulf ever post anything interesting on GN in case it was pinched by a sneaky writer. If it really worries you, Parcs, then write a book with all your memories and publish it yourself - then you will be the author.

Our daughter had an entire imaginary family. There was a sister of her age - they were almost twins - and a younger sister (notably NOT a brother which was the reality). There was then a mum and dad and they let the children do exactly what they wanted at all times. They all sat around the house eating cream cakes the whole time. She kept trying to organise that we would meet them but it never quite happened. Shame as I would have loved to work out what they were doing right and I was doing wrong.

I had a pony. No idea where it lived but it accompanied me around whenever I was outside