We all have quirky hobbies. Some people bake cookies, others take up knitting, and some hit the gym for fun. But what if your passion wasn’t just a hobby—but a full-blown transformation?
For one Japanese man, known only as Toco, this meant turning a lifelong dream into reality. And by dream, we mean becoming a dog. Yes, you read that right. Toco spent two million Yen (roughly $15,000) on a hyper-realistic border collie costume. Why? Because ever since childhood, he’s fantasized about living life as an animal.
Toco doesn’t just wear the costume—he lives it. On his YouTube channel, @I_want_to_be_an_animal, he shares videos of himself walking, eating, and playing like a dog. Whether he’s crawling on all fours or practicing a wag-worthy tail shake, Toco is fully committed to his canine lifestyle.
But even the most dogged dedication has its limits. Toco only dons the costume on special occasions and keeps his secret hidden from his close friends and coworkers. Why? He’s afraid of being judged.
“I rarely tell my friends,” he admitted to The Mirror. “I’m afraid they’ll think I’m weird.” Even his family was shocked when they found out. “They seemed very surprised to learn I became an animal,” he said.
Toco explained that this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. “Since childhood, I’ve had this unspecific fantasy of becoming an animal,” he shared. For him, a border collie felt like the perfect choice. “It’s my favorite breed, and their size matched mine, making the costume more realistic.”
The costume itself, crafted by Japanese company Zeppet, is an engineering marvel. While Toco can move in it, he admits there are limits. “If you move too much, it won’t look like a dog,” he said.
But Toco doesn’t stop at just looking like a dog. In one video, he’s seen squeezing himself into a giant dog cage. The footage shows him pawing at the door as if asking to be let out before the lights go off for “bedtime.” The next morning, the video ends with Toco being “freed” from the cage.
While his dedication is impressive (and perhaps a little bizarre), Toco’s story raises a deeper question: How far would you go to live your dream if it meant risking judgment from those around you?
Whether you find it inspiring or a bit out there, one thing’s for sure—Toco is living his paw-fect dream, one wag at a time. 🐾
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