Man Who Spent $14K on Lifelike Collie Costume Responds to Haters

A Japanese man who spent $14,000 on a lifelike, custom-made collie costume is shutting down speculation about his unique lifestyle after recently going viral.

The man, who identifies himself only as Toco, has been documenting his canine transformation on his YouTube channel, aptly titled "I want to be an animal," for over a year now. However, after posting video from a German interview in which he took the costume outside for his first-ever stroll in public, Toco has found himself under the scrutiny of a less-than-understanding internet.

In the video, Toco interacts with onlookers and their own dogs, most of which regard the costume with a mix of confusion and apprehension. He also performs tricks such as rolling over, giving his paw, and even waving at the cameras.

But while most of the humans he interacted with seemed curious or delighted by the costume, the comments were another story. "Men will literally spend $20,000 to transform into a border collie instead of going to therapy," quipped one commenter, while another said, "You cannot convince me this isn’t some weird sex thing."

"I’m just sad that people can think that, Toco explained to the New York Post over the backlash to his costume. "I love animals and enjoy play-acting like a collie."

"This is my hobby, so I will carry on," he added. "It makes me happy and other people happy, too."

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In another video posted last year in which Toco took questions from commenters, he shared that he had always wanted to be an animal since he was a child, even writing in his grade school graduation book that he "wanted to be a dog and walk outside." As far as why he chose a collie, in particular, he said it was because it was his favorite breed of dog, and that its size made it conducive for role play.

But while Toco may have amassed nearly 40,000 subscribers on YouTube, like Batman, some of those closest to him don't even know his real identity.

"I rarely tell my friends because I am afraid they will think I am weird," he told The Mirror last December. "My friends and family seemed very surprised to learn I became an animal."

Toco worked with the Japanese costume and sculpture company Zeppet to create his collie costume, which reportedly took 40 days to construct. An employee with the company said that the team working on the costume went so far as to replicate the skeletal structure of a collie to make it as realistic as possible.

"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," the employee added. 

In other words, it seems like money well spent to realize a lifetime dream.