Before its announcement, The Sims 4: Adventure Awaits was rumoured to be one of the largest Expansion Packs the franchise had seen so far. Now that it’s here, it’s not hard to see why. The DLC packs loads of new features and mechanics into it, including activities like diving, archery, and kayaking.
Kids are especially in the spotlight, with tonnes of new activities for them to do. One of these features is actually an old fan favourite, harking back to The Sims 3. That feature is imaginary friends.
Here’s everything you need to know before you invest in an ImagineMe! Doll for your little Sims.
What are imaginary friends?
Imaginary friends are dolls that can be brought to life. They each have their own distinct personality, which comes with its own benefits (and detriments) and interactions.
They provide a whole new avenue of gameplay for Child Sims, who have historically been left out of most major features added to The Sims 4 via DLC. And, when your Sim becomes a Teen, they can even come to life.
How to get an imaginary friend
You can pick up your new pal from Build/Buy Mode. It’s called the ImagineMe! Doll, and it costs 500 Simoleons.
ImagineMe! Dolls are tucked away under the Kids menu, in the Toy section. If you’re struggling to find it, just type the title into the search bar.
At first, your imaginary friend will only be, well, imaginary. They’ll function much like any other toy or doll in the game, like Blarphy. In order for them to come to life, you’ll need to set up some specific conditions.
An imaginary friend’s rider, if you will, is that they must be owned by a Child Sim with at least a level three Creativity skill. Said child needs to befriend the doll by interacting and playing with it regularly. Then, when the child becomes lonely by having a low Social need, the doll will come to life to keep them company.
Befriending your imaginary friend is easy. All you need to do is play with it and tell it secrets. The relationship bar builds really quickly. Alternatively, you could cheat it full.
Grinding the Creativity skill is a little more of a problem, but it’s still nothing too tough. It’ll slowly develop while playing with the doll, and you can also use items like activity tables and the new papercraft set to hone your kid’s artistic skills. Playing with other toys, like dollhouses, can also level the skill.
Once you’ve ticked all of those boxes, just select the Turn Into Imaginary Friend interaction with a Child Sim selected. From then on, the friend will strut around the house, keeping the child company while providing special moodlets and buffs. However, they’ll only be visible to the child.
Every imaginary friend in The Sims 4
You have four potential pals to choose from:
- Wild Child
- Lil’ Monster
- Pretty Pegacorn
- Krafty Kid
They’re each listed as their own separate item, rather than as colour swatches, so you should see four different listings for each type. They have distinct appearances, their own titles, and their own descriptions.
Imaginary friend personalities, explained
Imaginary friends each have their own associated trait. These traits are the same traits regular Sims can have.
Each type of doll has its own personality associated with it by default, although you can manually change that. The traits correspond as:
| Type | Trait |
| Wild Child | Competitive |
| Lil’ Monster | Goofball |
| Pretty Pegacorn | Evil |
| Krafty Kid | Creative |
How to change your imaginary friend’s trait
Want a Pretty Pegacorn, but don’t want her to be evil? With a little work, that’s entirely possible – so long as you haven’t brought her to life yet.
Select your imaginary friend while playing as a Child Sim and select the Choose Personality interaction. Then, select whichever of the four traits you want your friend to have.
You can only do this if your imaginary friend is still a plain old doll, so if this interaction is missing, then it’s probably already too late.
How to rename imaginary friends
Not feeling Krafty Kid and Wild Child? Honestly, me neither. Luckily, you can rename your doll with just a couple clicks.
Interact with an ImagineMe! Doll either on the ground or in your inventory, and select the Rename interaction. From there you can type in any name you wish.
How to turn your imaginary friend real
Coming up to your Sim’s terrible teens? Don’t worry – you can bring your imaginary friend with you, so long as you have a close enough friendship. And, in doing so, you’ll also be welcoming them into the real world.
As real as The Sims gets, anyway.
You should follow these steps to bring your imaginary friend to life:
- Make sure you have a free slot in your household
- Age your Child Sim up to a Teen (if you haven’t already)
- Interact with the ImagineMe! Doll associated with the imaginary friend you wish to bring to life
- Use the Offer to Make Real interaction
Your now-not-so-imaginary friend will now be a regular part of your household. They’ll function about the same as any other Sim.
How to say goodbye to your imaginary friend
If you want to get rid of your imaginary friend for good, then you can do so (you cruel creature). All you need to do is:
- Interact with your living imaginary friend (as in, not the doll)
- Select the Imaginary Friend social menu
- Use the Say Goodbye Forever interaction
You can’t undo this once you’ve done it. So, make sure you’re sure before you send your friend off into the void.
What does Send Back To Imaginary Land do?
If you’ve had enough of Krafty Kid for the day but don’t want to say goodbye forever, you can send them back into the ether with an easy interaction.
When you do this, they’ll disappear for the day until they’re next called on. To do this, you should:
- Select your imaginary friend
- Select the Imaginary Friend social menu to open up all of the sub-options
- Select the Send Back To Imaginary Land interaction
Next time you want to hang out, all you’ll need to do is interact with the ImagineMe! Doll again.
