The Linkola Principle:
On the Necessary Existence of Imagined Products

J. Linkola¹

¹Institute for Applied Imagination

November 11, 2026

Abstract

We propose a simple ontological law for the consumer age: if a product can be imagined, it already exists. The result is stated as Theorem 1 and proved in a single line. Supporting evidence is published daily, one corollary at a time. The principle is summarised as follows.

“I imagined it, therefore it exists.”

Keywords: ontology, imagination, obscure products, retail, existence proofs

1Introduction

In 1637 Descartes inferred his own existence from the act of thinking [1]. The present work extends his result, modestly, to everything else. It rests on one repeatable observation: whenever a sufficiently specific and sufficiently absurd product is imagined, a brief search reveals that someone, somewhere, is already selling it.

We formalise this observation below and invite the reader to attempt a counterexample. None has yet survived peer review.

Theorem 1

Theorem 1 (The Linkola Principle). For every product x, if x can be imagined, then x exists.

∀x : 𝓘(x) ⇒ ∃x(1)

Proof. I imagined it.∎

Figure 1: The ontological transition. A dashed outline denotes an object that has merely been imagined; a solid outline denotes the same object, existing. By Theorem 1 the arrow is instantaneous.

2Empirical Evidence

Each day the author imagines one new product and publishes the resulting corollary. A selection is reproduced in Table 1.

Table 1: Selected corollaries of Theorem 1.

No.	Imagined product	Status
0001	A waterproof teabag	exists ∎
0002	A fitted sheet that folds itself	exists ∎
0003	A tiny top hat for a hamster	exists ∎
0004	A banana case shaped like a banana	exists ∎
0005	A GPS tracker for the missing sock	exists ∎
0006	A Bluetooth-enabled rubber duck	exists ∎

Follow the daily proofs on X → @LinkolaLaw

3Peer Review

Readers may submit conjectures of their own. Accepted submissions are published as corollaries, with credit to the imaginer.

4Limitations

The author has not yet imagined any.

Appendix A Merchandise

The following items have been imagined and therefore exist. They will become available for purchase shortly.

mug (imagined)

Fig. A.1: The ∃ mug

t-shirt (imagined)

Fig. A.2: “I imagined it” tee

tote (imagined)

Fig. A.3: Proof tote bag

References

[1]R. Descartes. Discours de la méthode. Leiden, 1637.
[2]J. Linkola. Excogitavi, ergo est. Journal of Things That Probably Exist, 1(1):1–∞, 2026.
[3]Anonymous. “Surely nobody makes that.” Famous last words, n.d.