Horseflesh seems to forget about “Little Stuart”. Our son has a friend by this name and he still brings him up every so often. He had become so popular in our house, in fact, that our daughter adopted her own “Little Stuart”. He (Little Stuart) only comes around when the kids are playing house or something anymore, so it’s not like he is a constant part of the family, but at one time both of the kids were talking about him all of the time. It’s really interesting to see some of the things the kids would blame on “Little Stuart” 
Most of my dreams in early childhood were recurring. One of those dreams was that I was hanging out with a boy my own age. His name was “Way” (or “Whay” or some other weird spelling) and I considered him real even though I would only see him during sleep.
I have a home recording studio and play all the instruments myself. With guitar as my main instrument, I pretend that all the other instruments are played by “imaginary” bandmates. The other band members don’t have names, but the bass player is a female. All the works I produce are under the band’s name.
I was an only child, and as you can tell, don’t have any friends.
Cy
I had a couple of imaginary friends when I was little. They kept me entertained for hours.
Misskid3 is the only kid at home during the day while the other misskids are at school. She often plays with “Jessie”. She is awful bossy to “Jessie”. Guess that is what happens when you are the youngest and don’t have anyone to boss around.
Now I don’t feel so strange…mine were Biz & Bo…yes, I was an only child…one of the few times I remember them, my mom swept them off the front porch and, according to her, I was quite angry for some time until I found them hiding under the steps (apparently they were quite afraid of the broom after that - hey, that’s an idea, therapy for invisible friends).
Apparently they travelled in my pocket when we were going somewhere.
I had a few invisible friends when I was little. Nothing out of the ordinary.
In high school, now that’s another matter. My friends and I got really, really bored one time and made up a one-inch-tall friend named “Herman” who we’d toss around classrooms, write about in notes, etc. Really just a product of girls who were too smart for their classes trying to releive some boredom. The really creepy thing is my mom did the same thing when she was that age, only her little guy was named “Herbie”. We didn’t find out until years later that we’d both had the same odd habits in high school English class.
There is nothing “out there” about having imaginary friends as a child… I think just about everyone has one at one point or another when they’re a kid.
I was the youngest in my family so I had several although I didn’t know their names but I’d sit and talk to them about stuff.
Grem
At about age 5 or 6, I had an imaginary horse named Blacky. I would gallop on him in public which mortfied my teen aged sister. You know: “Mom, make him stop”. She still likes to get mileage out of it at family gatherings over 50 years later. It’s OK, I still have stuff on her, too.
Clown, Prince, Jeanie, Crystal, Susie and Sally.
Clown was first. He was small enough to sit on my shoulder.
Prince looked just like the Disney version of Prince Charming and Jeanie looked like Jeanie Crane.
Crystal was identical to me except perfect and blond.
Susie and Sally were twin children that I shared with another playmate. She still remembers after fifty years.
I also had imaginary clothes such as velvet capes with hoods lined with fur.
My grandfather invented some for me. He kept on telling me stories about them until I half believed in them myself. They both lived in the ravine next to my grandparents’ house - my evil twin sister who was separated from me at birth lived in the trees, while the dinosaur lived underground. The evil twin thing kind of creeped me out, but I liked the dinosaur.
My sister had an imaginary friend named Maulette, when she was 5, now she is 26). It was a pretty scary situation. Sometimes it felt like she was really there. Curiously, she barely remembers her.
I bet that I wouldn’t be surprised if some day Maulette called me to give her greetings.
I had an invisible friend named Susan when I was a kid. I was an only child, but carpooled to school with the only other kids around (we lived way off in the sticks at the time). Jill was my age, and her brother Jason was three or four years older. Anyway, Jason loved to torment me (he convinced me that the “eject” button on the car casette player was for my seat, etc.) and one day he told me that my invisible friend had died.
And I totally believed him.
So that was it for Susan.
When I was little, I used to love to have invisible friends. Sometimes, if I was suffering from flashbacks, we would play US v. the Viet Cong. My favorite one was charlie, who on many occasions, tried to ambush my platoon. Eventually I captured him, skinned him alive, and then threw burning lemon juice on his body. Sometimes he would win and I would have to explain to my parents why I had 17 inch long wounds on my chest. Even though the scars are still there, he isn’t.
Man, I sure do miss him…
I never had invisible friends. My sister had Monty and Yoyo…
Not sure whether they count as invisible friends, but I’d talk to and play with the characters of the books I was reading. Sometimes I’d make myself into a new character in the book and then go along on the adventure. Never completely made up a friend, though.
That reminds me!
My friend and I invented “Baby Al” and “Baby Di” during a boring class when we were about 13. They stayed with us until the end of the year.
My daughter had an imaginary friend named Chunther, who was a miniature giraffe and lived down the plughole in the bathroom (when all the water ran out, she would call down the plughole and ask him if he was OK).
One day she just stopped playing along and would berate me if I tried asking about him, but then after a while, she started enjoying it as a wholly ‘pretend’ game.
After puberty, I had some invisible girlfriends…
My 4-yr-old niece had an invisible friend called Sal until about June/Julylast year. When her mum noticed she no longer talked about Sal and asked her where he was, my niece, who also lives in Hong Kong, said he had died of Sars
No actual made-up friends, i.e. that didn’t have any basis in existence. However, I had them in the sense that my dozens of stuffed dogs 9and a few bears and birds) all had personalities and would talk quite a bit, till I was 7 or 8, and then after that a few special ones, although that would be only in my mind. yes, I was an only child.
I still remember one conversation i had with one when i was in early grade school which showed I know i was really making them up and just having fun - I asked one the question, “Am I you, or are you me?” The sort of strange philosophical question i would ask as that age; yep, I was a nerd’s nerd. But, then I started making more real friends, though my stuffed animals accepted me with my handicaps (20/800 vision, bit of cerebral palsey), so they stayed for a while. In fact, I still have many of them, though now they’re just symbols of faith to me, and how the Lord blessed me and helped me through rough times. They aren’t “real” to me anymore.
but, in my childhood, it was like every stuffed animals became like “the velveteen rabbit” - and became 'real" to me.
It is myself that is illusionary, as is everything else we perceive as real. Mr. Bobo tells me so. He is a very smart bear.