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A viral video showing a Japanese man who goes by his canine moniker, Toco, walking around in a realistic dog costume to fulfill his childhood dream has left netizens baffled. The clip was shared on the man's YouTube channel, I want to be an animal, on Friday, July 21, 2023.
In the five-minute-long video shot in 2022 for a German TV station, RTL, Toco is on his first outing wearing the lifelike collie outfit as he is being walked around by his handler on a makeshift leash with a trolley.
Several dogs were seen sniffing him warily and many people took photos of him as he performed various tricks and plays in public.
"My name is Toco, I wanted to be an animal and I became a collie. This channel will bring you such an unusual video." he writes in his bio.
Needless to say, internet users were left stunned and several commended that the man wanted to be a mythical being from the book Animorphs.
"72 hour psych evaluation hold": Toco sparks humorous reactions amongst netizens
As videos of Toco gained traction, cybernauts took to social media to share some humorous memes and sarcastic quips. Many also called it a weird fetish and added that he needs mental help.
More about Toco
The man has shared his journey as a collie on his YouTube channel, which boasts over 30,000 subscribers and over 12 million views. Several of the videos show the man behaving like a dog, including sleeping in a cage, wearing a dog collar, and performing tricks.
The man added that he is tight-lipped about his identity and his canine dream because:
"I don't want my hobbies to be known, especially by the people I work with... I rarely tell my friends because I am afraid they will think I am weird."
According to NextShark, Toco spent over 2 million Yen (then $15,700) to commission model and sculpture company Zeppet to make the costume.
While many have reacted positively to Toco, there are several comments seen calling this a bizarre and weird stunt. However, the man wrote in one of his videos that his family was surprised to learn he became an animal.
