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Also known as "imaginary companions", are pretend characters often created by children. Imaginary friends often function as tutelaries (or perform a tutelary function) when they are engaged by the child in play activity. Imaginary friends may exist for the child into adolescence and sometimes adulthood. Imaginary friends often have elaborate personalities and behaviors. Although they may seem very real to their creators, studies have shown that children understand that their imaginary friends are not real.

The development of imaginary friends by a person does not alone necessarily signify a problem or disorder. According to the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), imaginary friends are classified as a psychological disorder only if they interfere with everyday social interactions. It could possibly be a solution to feeling lonely.According to some theories of psychology, an understanding of a child's conversations with their imaginary friends can reveal a lot about the anxieties and fears of that child as well as the child's aspirations and perception of the world. Some children report that their "imaginary friends" manifest themselves physically, and are indistinguishable from "real" people.