[pitbulllady]

[quote=antgirl1;56668]How do Imaginary Friends continue to exist?
Once an Imaginary Friend is created, he/she is a fully self-aware, sapient biological being, just like us. Their need for a family or companionship is no doubt inherited from the species which gave rise to them, Homo sapiens, but it is not so much biological as emotional/psychological in nature, as is our own need for companionship. We're social animals, let's face it. We've seen evidence on the show that some Imaginary Friends have actually lived on their own for many years, after being abandoned or being separated from their families; Uncle Pockets describes how he lived on the streets for quite some time before being taken in by Madame Foster, and Wilt apparently survived on his own for a period of eight years in between being separated from Jordan and arriving at Foster's, and THAT is with only one arm and one eye. We have no idea how long Coco survived all alone on a deserted tropical island prior to being discovered by Douglas and Adam, but it was apparently for a long time, for there to have been no sign of human habitation on the island. Survival being the most powerful of all instincts, Imaginary Friends, like homeless humans, would simply have to do whatever it takes to stay alive, but they are not, as a whole, physically dependent on a human family for survival.

Why do Imaginary Friends look and act the way they do?

I believe that genetically, Imaginary Friends are as human as any of us, despite appearances. Phenotype, the outward appearance of an organism, is not necessarily similar to genetype, the genetic composition that makes up a living thing. Appearance of an Imaginary Friend might very well be the one thing that the Friend's creator does have total control over, through their power of will. Personality-wise, though, it seems that Imaginary Friends do not often turn out much like their creators, just as human children often turn out quite different from their parents. Still, it seems that even in cases where the personalities of an IF and his/her creator differ, there is this subconcious aspect at work, with the IF representing some part of the creator's personality that is kept hidden. Mac and Bloo are a prime example of this. With others, the old saying, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree", seems to apply. Wilt and Jordan are a good example of this, where it's obvious that they are related, right down to the same speech patterns.

Can Imaginary Friends change?

I do believe that they can learn and change, to some extent, but as with humans, they are still bound to some degree by the personality type that they have from their creation, and how they react to situations is dependent on that personality type. As for physical changes, we've seen conflicting evidence here; Mr. Herriman says that the appearance of IF's does not change in "The Big Picture", yet many IF's have a clear notion of how they'd look when old, as seen in "Something Old, Something Bloo", among other episodes. It appears that the humans in that episode accepted that the IF's who showed up at the nursing home were aged, yet it was clear that they were Imaginary Friends, and they never questioned the notion of Imaginary Friends getting old. We know that Imaginary Friends are NOT immortal, and that they are subject to the same biological processes that we are, which means that eventually, even if their outward appearance belies it, their internal parts will just "wear out", and they will die. Perhaps they live longer than us, but they will not live forever. On the topics of physical change/aging, I still maintain that Wilt's appearance, other than just the loss of his arm and damage to his eye and the aquisition of those facial scars, HAS changed. Wilt does indeed look older now than he did in those flash-back scenes from GWH.

Does Frankie enjoy her job and does she like Mr. Herriman?

I believe that like most of us who have to work for a living, Frankie has moments when she absolutely hates her job, and moments when she would not trade it for anything else in the world. She is a very loyal individual, and while she most likely could find work, for better pay, outside of Foster's, her sense of loyalty to her grandmother and the residents(yes, even Bloo), keeps her there. I'd describe her relationship with Mr. Herriman as "love/hate". She obviously gets aggravated with him and his pushy rules, but he's still family after all, and she's shown in episodes like "Setting a President" that she certainly can feel sorry for him and doesn't want to see him sad or hurt.

Can Imaginary Friends die and can they age?

See my response to "Can Imaginary Friends Change?"

What human traits do Imaginary Friends have?

Biologically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, Imaginary Friends have all the same needs and characteristics that humans do. Some of them, like Prince Charming, even LOOK exactly like us. Like us, they are set apart from other animals by the capacity to imagine situations that have never happened, to ponder the future and formulate complex abstract thoughts, as well as displaying a clear indication that they can believe in the concept of an immortal soul, of life continuing after physical death has occured, and of a "better place" for souls who have departed their physical bodies. No other creatures, other than us humans, displays a definate belief in spirituality and is capable of determining their own actions based on a moral/ethical concept of right or wrong, or to consider how their actions will affect others, both long and short-term. That's why I would consider Imaginary Friends to be our equals, in all respects, regardless of how different they might LOOK from us.

The only trait that Imaginary Friends apparently do NOT share with humans is the ability to IMAGINE another living being into existance, but then, not all humans can do that, either, not even all children, hence their need to adopt an Imaginary Friend if they want to have one. However, at least some Imaginary Friends DO appear to have the capacity to reproduce biologically, the "old-fashioned way", requiring a male and a female. We know that the Imaginary Fleas in "Land of the Flea" sure "got bizzay", and I would not be surprised if at least some of those monster babies in the Foster's nursury weren't the products of some of the adult Imaginaries' biological, if not emotional, "urges" as unpleasant as some folks find this. I can't fathom a little girl imagining a baby MONSTER-a human-like baby IF, yes, a sort of living baby doll, but a MONSTER? I can't picture little boys imagining a baby ANYTHING; that just doesn't seem like something a boy would do, create something that has to be nurtured and coddled continuously. Some probably would, but there's a LOT of young'uns in that nursury for little boys to have accounted for!

pitbulllady