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Why Do So Many People Have an Imaginary Boyfriend Named “Raoul”?

Martha in Portland, Oregon, has long joked about having an imaginary boyfriend named Raoul. Then she discovered that two friends of hers also joke about their own imaginary boyfriend named Raoul. Then a third friend told her about yet another woman whose imaginary boyfriend named Raoul. What’s going on? Was there some pop-culture ur-imaginary boyfriend named Raul or Raoul? It might be inspired by the short-lived 2005 TV sitcom Committed, in which Jennifer Finnegan has an imaginary boyfriend she calls Raoul. Do you know of any other imaginary boyfriends named Raoul? This is part of a complete episode.

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