A Japanese man went viral last year after he turned himself into a dog. Toco's transformation into a human dog cost him two million yen. Zeppet, a Japanese business that manufactures costumes for TV commercials and films, spent 40 days creating the man's hyper-realistic dog outfit. The company specialises in producing miniatures, bodysuits, and 3-D models.
Now, talking more about his journey as a border collie, he told WanQol, "It really is a happy experience to be able to become something other than myself. I get excited and happy being someone other than myself.
However, dogs and humans have different skeletal structures, and the way we bend our legs and arms is different, so it's very difficult to move in a way that looks like a dog's.
I'm currently researching movements that look more dog-like. Also, cleaning it when it gets dirty is a bit of a pain. When I go outside, I get dirt on it, and dust gets stuck in my fur, so it takes a lot of work to clean it every time."
Toko also revealed to the Japanese news outlet that he wanted to live as a new animal. He confessed that he wanted to attempt four animals, but two of them may be impractical due to logistical constraints. The four animals that he said he wishes to become are another dog, a panda, a bear, a fox or a cat.
"I want to try to becoming other animals. I could realistically become another dog, a panda, or a bear. A fox or a cat would be good, but they're too small for a human to try... I hope to make my dream of becoming another animal come true someday," Toco told WanQol.
Currently, Toco documents his daily life as a border collie on his YouTube channel and has close to 65,000 subscribers.
He transformed himself into a dog known as Toco, and the transformation procedure for him to become a dog cost him two million Yen, which amounts to $22,000.
Japanese company Zeppet, which makes costumes for TV commercials and films, created the hyper-realistic dog outfit for the man and it took them 40 days. The company specialises in creating figurines, bodysuits, and 3-D models.
"Modelled after a collie dog, it reproduces the appearance of a real dog walking on four legs," said the company's spokesperson.
The man uploaded a video on his YouTube channel named "I want to be an animal". The channel has more than 31,000 subscribers and the video has received more than 1 million views. The video was shot one year ago but has been uploaded recently. It was shot as part of an interview by RTL, a German TV station.
"I became a collie, fulfilling a dream I had since I was a little child to be an animal!" subtitles at the beginning of the video read.
In the video, Toco is seen being taken out for a walk with a leash around the neck. The human dog sniffs other dogs in the park and rolls around on the floor just like animals do.
Last year, Toco interacted with the Daily Mail and talked about why he chose to become a human dog.
"I don't want my hobbies to be known, especially by the people I work with," said the man.
"They think it's weird that I want to be a dog. For the same reason why I can't show my real face," added the man.
"I rarely tell my friends because I am afraid they will think I am weird,' he said in a separate interview with the Mirror.
"My friends and family seemed very surprised to learn I became an animal," he confessed.
