Japanese Man Spends S$20K On Border Collie Costume To Fulfil Dream Of Becoming A Dog

Man Creates S$20K Dog Costume To Fulfil Lifelong Dream Of Becoming An Animal

Some dream of travelling the world, others dream of getting rich, but one man in Japan simply wants to become a dog.

In May last year, the man who goes by the pseudonym Toco went viral for fulfilling his lifelong dream. He had paid S$20,463 (2 million yen) to make a realistic Border Collie costume to wear it.

He documents his ‘canine’ adventures on YouTube and has since amassed over 12,400 subscribers.

Despite the success, Toco has yet to reveal his true identity to the public.

In a recent interview, he told Mirror he fears his loved ones would think he is “weird”.

Man spends S$20K on dog costume

In early 2022, Toco commissioned a Japanese company, Zeppet, to create a realistic Border Collie costume.

He paid S$20,463, and the company took about 40 days to complete the costume. This included multiple revisions and costume fittings.

On 12 Apr 2022, Toco debuted the costume on his Youtube channel called ‘I want to become an animal’.

In his first YouTube video titled ‘I tried to become a collie’, he can be seen raising his ‘paw’ and rolling about on the floor, just like a dog would.

He wrote in the video description that his dream of becoming an animal came true this way.

Toco explained that he is a human but became a Border Collie simply because he “wanted to be an animal”.

He said he has always had this dream since he was a child.

He continued posting videos of him in the dog costume in the following months.

This includes videos of him playing with a frisbee, dressing up, eating dog food, and even taking a walk outside.

As of 2 Jan 2023, he has amassed over 12,400 YouTube subscribers.

Fears that friends will think he’s weird

However, although he enjoyed success, Toco told Mirror in Dec 2022 that he rarely shares this canine life with his friends.

“I am afraid they will think I am weird,” he said.

For the friends and family he has shared with, Toco said they had been surprised to learn he became an animal.

Nonetheless, he enjoys doing things only dogs can do and feeling like a “proper pet”.

Toco reportedly dressed up in his Border Collie costume several times a month.

He wondered if this childhood dream of his had to do with a desire for transformation.

Receives encouragement from online fans

While Toco still struggles with feeling self-conscious about his canine life, his online community has given him plenty of encouragement.

Many fans praised his costume, saying it truly looked like a real dog.

Others said they were happy for him having reached his life goal.

This netizen even said that Toco inspires them to fulfil their dreams too.

Toco himself had responded to many of these kind words with thanks.

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Featured image adapted from 動物になりたい(I want to be an animal) on YouTube and YouTube.