A dog superfan has taken his obsession so far that he decided to ditch his life to become canine. Spending thousands of pounds to make it happen, he’s also created a human zoo to offer a unique experience
A man who spent more than £12,000 to become a life-size dog has announced that his human zoo is still open for business, after previously worrying that he wouldn’t get enough bookings.
The Japanese man, who goes by the name Toco the dog, can often be spotted rolling on the floor and greeting confused passers-by in the park. He has since raked in a following of over 73,000 people on YouTube.
Toco had been living his dream of turning canine for several years, but despite his efforts to transform into his favourite breed, he still wasn’t satisfied. He took his ambitions one step further by announcing that he would open a facility called the Tokotoko Zoo. For £250, visitors can dress up as an Alaskan Malamute, with hyper-realistic costumes with jaws that can open and close.
However, his bookings were not looking good at the start of this month. Toco wrote on social media: “Our opening day is Sunday, May 4, but if we do not receive any reservations by Saturday, April 19, we will close the store.”
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But things have since turned around with the zoo website issuing an update, stating that it will next open in the summer. “Our next business day is scheduled for after July. We will contact you as soon as it is confirmed,” the notice said.
It was his lifelong dream to turn into a dog, and a talented costume company made his unusual request happen. Toco bought a realistic border collie costume from Zeppet, a Japanese agency known for creating sculptures and models for movies.
It reportedly took Zeppet 40 days to make the costume, as Toco kept adding improvements to make it perfect. “I made it a collie because it looks real when I put it on,” Toco told Japanese news outlet Mynavi.
“My favourite is quadrupedal animals, especially cute ones. Among them, I thought that a big animal close to me would be good, considering that it would be a realistic model, so I decided to make it a dog. I met such a condition and made a collie, my favourite breed of dog.”
When Toco was asked if he could move his limbs freely, he said that he is able to with resistance. He also explained that if he moves too much, he won’t look like a realistic dog.
A Zeppet employee spoke about how the team found a way to create the skeleton structure of a dog, and spent a lot of time studying it. They said at the time: “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.”
Toco, who has his own YouTube channel, shared a now-viral video of himself in the costume, titled: ‘I tried to become a collie’. He can be seen rolling over for belly rubs, pretending to sit and lifting his paws.
Zeppet also shared a selection of images of the costume on Twitter, racking up thousands of likes and retweets.
Toco is still encouraging people to book a trip to his zoo. The website states: “Have you ever wanted to be an animal? Have you ever imagined yourself as something other than yourself and felt excited? We offer a service that can help make that wish come true, even if only a little, by having you wear a costume.”
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