Those Imaginary Friends

I have a theory, of sorts.
It has to do with Imaginary Friends.
Simple test.  Did you have one?
Yes?  Well... who was it?  What were they like?  Did you name them?
I will give you three examples.
I had imaginary FRIENDS.  This was, in part, due to the fact I was an only child for 9.5 years and I was VERY social.  So, if friends were not around, I created them.
However... primarily, my imaginary friends were Batman and Robin.  Go there.  I was, at a very young age, involved in hero worship.  Yes.  I picked MEN to save me.  Yikes.  What  a beginning.
My daughter, also an "only", had an Imaginary friend, too.  Her name was Sparkles and for about a year, she LIVED with us.  Her own car seat, own place at the table, own pillow and blanket in bed... The Works.  We flew to Florida when Madi was 4 and had to pack her her own backpack of stuff for the trip.  However, when we arrived, my daughter unceremoniously announced that Sparkles was gone.  Seems my daughter  had killed her by pushing her out of the plane to her glittery doom.  Yikes, again.  What an ending.
I have a very close friend who says she NEVER had imaginary friends.  Ever.  She did have siblings and perhaps that is part of the formula here... but she also has been one of the most strong and stable people I have ever met.  Her relationships reflect that.
I dunno.... Batman and Robin saved me many a day from the holds of the bad men as I perched in peril on my Sears swingset.
Sparkles never appeared again after She was replaced with the Real Magic of a trip to Disney.
Does a house full of siblings give you enough Real Drama and interaction to disperse of Imaginary Friends?  My gut says, "No".  I am willing to bet MANY children with MANY siblings resort to Imaginary Friends to ESCAPE said siblings.
Therein lies The Rub.  Imaginary friends appearing  are just those with flairs to create.  We create what we cannot even express as A Need in our young lives, and we fill that void with The Friend of our choice.  Hero, Sparkle, Furry Beast to protect us... the form varies.  As we age, those Imaginary Friends seem to appear over and over in our lives, don't they?  Hmmmm.  I spent a whole lotta time in my life looking for a Hero instead of a Man.  Guess I should just be happy my Imaginary Friend was not a blue furry beast.