A Japanese man spent nearly two million Yen, equal to £12,480, to become a dog – he said it was his lifelong dream.
Toco, who regularly shares his dog-life updates with his 11.3 subscribers on YouTube, spent $15000 on a custom-made human-sized Collie costume.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the Japanese native said that he only wears his collie costume on special occasions as he does not want to tell his friends about his canine alter ego as they will think he is weird.
“Ever since I was a small child, I wanted to be an animal. I think it is a desire to transform,” he said. “I’ve thought about it since I can remember.”
He also keeps his identity hidden and never reveals his face on his YouTube channel because he is afraid people will judge him for his choice of becoming an animal.
“I don’t want my hobbies to be known, especially by the people I work with. They think it’s weird that I want to be a dog. For the same reason why I can’t show my real face,” he told the outlet.
His YouTube videos show him playing, walking, and jumping like a dog. Sometimes, he even pretends to eat fake dog food in his videos.
According to Daily Mail, “Toco, who used to have a medium-sized white mongrel called Mirai that looked similar to a Kishu, posted videos of himself dressed in the collie costume on YouTube.”
“Footage of him playing with a ball and doing tricks went viral as more than four million people watched the footage and thousands subscribed to his channel.”
Speaking to The Mirror, Toco said, “I rarely tell my friends because I am afraid they will think I am weird. My friends and family seemed very surprised to learn I became an animal.”
He said that he always had this fantasy of becoming an animal, and now that he has gotten this idea of getting himself a dog costume, he believes it was his calling.
“I’ve also learned how to eat fake dog food, venture outside in a lift, and even hang in a hammock,” he said.
“I chose a collie because it’s my “favorite” breed of dog, and purchased the realistic costume from Zeppet, a Japanese agency known for creating sculptures and models for movies.”
According to The Mirror, “It took Zeppet 40 days to make the costume, as Toco kept adding improvements to make it perfect.”
Speaking to the publication, a Zeppet employee said it took them a lot of time to study the creation of a dog skeleton and then make it from scratch.
“In addition, we collect photographs taken from various angles so that the beautiful coat of the collie can be reproduced and devised so that the coat will flow naturally.”
As weird and surprising as this sounds, Toco is getting a lot of praise and support from his followers on YouTube and some people are even relating with him.
“You inspire us to fulfill our dreams, too,” a subscriber commented on one of his videos.
“I hope I become the animal I want to be as well. You’re an inspiration to us,” another said.
“You are an amazing human! Great dog, I mean. You have made your dreams come true. I also always wanted to be a dog haha. Now I can see that everything is possible!” a third wrote.
“I’m so glad to see you going out and seeing people! There’s no need to fear! You are very adorable and I’m proud you got the courage!” another commented.
However, some people fail to understand his obsession with becoming a dog and ask him why he did that.
“This is scary AF, why would you do that? Wrote one.
“I don’t understand this, out of all the other things in the world, you wanted to become a dog? Get a life, dude,” another said.
What are your views on this story? Let us know in the comments.
Sources: Daily Mail – YouTube – The Mirror
