Kids’ Imaginary Friends Brought to Life in Fun Photos
Dreams became reality for a group of lucky kids whose sketches of their imaginary friends were turned into huggable, hilarious, and, in one case, towering models that the kids can pal around with in real life — which they did, as shown in a stunning photo series currently on display at the V&A Museum of Childhood, in London.
The sketch that inspired the cuddly creation above. (Photo: Rankin/V&A Museum of Childhood)
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“Children create many amazing things — take their imaginary friends for instance,“ the project’s creators, Arvid Harnqvist and Amar Marwaha, both told the Huffington Post UK. “They are talked about all the time and often become part of the family. But when the child gets older, these marvelous creations fade away.”
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Photo: Rankin/V&A Museum of Childhood
Not so for the six children whose imaginings Harnqvist and Marwaha selected in September from more than 60 kids’ drawings of their fantastical friends and brought to life by animators and model makers, including Wallace and Gromit’s creators at Aardman studio.
Photo: Rankin/V&A Museum of Childhood
The real-life renderings — including an 8-foot dinosaur and three-eyed girl with a pet cloud — now comprise the museum’s “Imaginary Friend Collection.” They have also been immortalized in a series of photos showing the kids alongside the friends that they dreamed up, shot by British photographer Rankin.
Photo: Rankin/V&A Museum of Childhood
“Explore the museum to meet all the imaginary friends,” urges a description on the Museum of Childhood’s website. And while you’re at it, it also charmingly challenges, “Why not think of what your imaginary friend looks like…”
Photo: Rankin/V&A Museum of Childhood
Photo above and at top: Rankin/V&A Museum of Childhood
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