Human Becomes Real Life Dog: Man Transforms Into Border Collie With $14K Custom Costume

A Japanese man has reportedly spent $14,000 to transform himself into a border collie by purchasing a custom dog costume that allows him to fulfill his lifelong dream of “becoming an animal”.

Toco, who remains anonymous online, shared a series of videos on his YouTube channel where he is seen frolicking, rolling around and playing fetch while clad in his hyper-realistic collie costume. The costume took 40 days to create and is modeled after a border collie to closely mimic the appearance of the dog breed.

In a recent video that has garnered over 1.7 million views, Toco is seen venturing outside in public for the very first time while wearing the costume. The clip shows Toco cautiously walking down a busy street while bystanders watch in surprise. Though nervous, Toco said putting on the costume helped actualize his childhood dream of “becoming a dog and walking outside”.

Toco started sharing footage of himself in the custom costume last year after spending 14 million yen (over $14,000 USD) to have it custom created by Japanese costume makers Zeppet. As a child, Toco said he always had a “vague dream of becoming an animal” and chose to transform into a border collie due to the negligible size difference between humans and the breed.

The Man Behind The Costume

Toco remains fairly anonymous online and keeps his unusual hobby hidden from most friends and family saying they “think it’s weird that I want to be a dog”. Though his videos have garnered a large following of over 32,000 subscribers on YouTube, Toco admits he rarely tells people in his daily life about his transformation into a border collie.

Even colleagues at Toco’s workplace remain unaware of his hobby, with Toco stating he doesn’t “want my hobbies to be known, especially by the people I work with. They think it’s weird that I want to be a dog.”

Living The Dream

Despite some criticism online accusing Toco of having sexual motivations for transforming into a dog, the Japanese man maintains his costume allows him to live out his lifelong dream. “Do you remember your dreams from when you are little? You want to be a hero or a wizard,” Toco writes in one video. “I remember writing in my grade school graduation book that I wanted to be a dog and walk outside.”

For Toco, donning the hyper-realistic border collie costume is a way to actualize that childhood fantasy, even if only for a short time. And based on the joy seen in Toco’s videos, it seems the custom costume is helping this man fulfill his dream of “becoming an animal” and living life – at least for moments – as a border collie.

In the end, Toco’s story serves as a reminder that childhood dreams do not necessarily fade with age – for some, they remain a source of wonder and joy just waiting to be rediscovered.