Japanese man who became Toco the Dog says he wants others to follow in his footsteps

Toco, a Japanese YouTuber, has opened up about the interest people have in his hobby of dressing in his incredible hyperrealistic Border Collie costume.

Toco the Dog – known for his $15,791 hyper-realistic border collie costume – has done his first interview whilst dressed as a dog.

The Japanese man went viral in 2022 after unleashing his canine alter ego and his ridiculously realistic costume, which has shocked the internet. He went viral once again in July 2023 when he went out in public in the costume for the first time.

In his first in-costume chat with EFE, a Spanish international news agency, Toco claims that fans want to follow in his footsteps as they ask him for advice.

“Since I was a child I wanted a change,” he shared. “When I am dressed in the suit I feel happy because my dreams come true.”

He went on to share that receives lots of positive messages, including from some who want to follow in his footsteps.

“I receive all kinds of messages, among the positive messages, some tell me that they want to do what [I’ve done],” he said, according to The Daily Star.

“This has allowed me to see that there are other people like me.”

This is not just a fancy dress outfit by the way, as Toco has always dreamed of transforming into a dog.

“I’ve thought about it since I can remember,” he told MailOnline in 2022.

However, the YouTuber has said that 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. For the same reason why I can’t show my real face.”

Who is Toco?

Toco has grown increasingly popular since he posted a video on July 21 of him walking around in public in his $15,791 custom dog costume.

The costume — meticulously crafted by Zeppet Workshop, a company known for its costume work in movies and television — took over 40 days to construct. For the last year, Toco has showcased the costume in videos posted to his YouTube channel, with many viewers questioning their own eyes. In all of these videos, Toco can be seen posing in his dog costume and behaving just as a dog would.

In the video, Toco is seen being taken out for a walk on a leash, engaging with other dogs and humans at the park.

The reactions of passers-by and other dogs range from curiosity to astonishment, with many seemingly unable to discern that Toco is not actually a dog.

With his YouTube channel gaining traction, viewers can expect to see more of Toco’s adventures as a Collie in the future. As Toco himself puts it, “I will continue this in the next video! Please subscribe to this channel!”