The Japanese man, known as Toco, who had achieved overnight fame last month for his efforts to “become a dog”, has issued a clarification. He states that people have misunderstood of his intention and that he doesn’t want to “live like a dog”. The man reportedly spent more than $14000 for the custom-made canine suit for the transformation.
3 things you should know:
The said man has not disclosed his real name or identity.
‘Toco’ is the name by which he is recognised on social media.
He had been wearing the costume since April 2022.
I wear the costume only once a week: Toco
In a recent interaction with New York Post, Toco stated that while he is happy that his family has wholeheartedly accepted his decision, he doesn’t want to “live the life of a dog”. Toco has clarified that he wears the custom-made collie dog custom only as a hobby, and once a week. He added, “This is my hobby, so I will carry on. It makes me happy and other people happy, too.”
(Toco has 20 million hits on his Youtube channel | Image: Youtube/I am an Animal)
Toco mentioned that he had kept his public identity hidden because he did not want to be judged for his new look by the people in his life. The Japanese man also admitted that he did not expect such a massive response to his videos and his “dog life.”
Toco’s YouTube channel has 20 million hits
Even though Toco made the said transformation in early 2022, he became famous only when a video of him walking on the streets in a collie suit went viral on July 21. Toco had the custom suit designed by Zeppet, a company that specialises in animal costumes for TV shows and commercials.
Toco has a YouTube channel named I want to be an animal, where he documents his experiences as the transformed self. In the videos, he can be seen roaming around the city in his hyperreal costume. So far, his channel has garnered nearly 20 million views in total.
