Produced by: Hitansh Gaur
Designed by Sahaj Ajmani
A Japanese man spent over 2 million yen (Rs 11 lakh) to look like a border collie dog. The video of his first walk has gone viral on social media.
A man named Toco hired a Japanese company Zeppet last year to make a customised costume for him. It took 40 days to complete the suit, which makes him look like a border collie.
Talking to the Japanese media last year, the man had said, “I made it a collie because it looks real when I put it on. 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 Collie, my favourite breed of dog.”
Japan’s ‘human dog’ Toco further said that he wears the costume only on special occasions. He added, “Ever since I was a small child, I wanted to be an animal. I think it is a desire to transform. I’ve thought about it since I can remember.”
Toco is not the real name of the guy and he has kept his real identity hidden. He said, “I don’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. I rarely tell my friends because I am afraid they will think I am weird.”
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Earlier this year, another Japanese man spent 3 million yen (Rs 18 lakh) to transform into a wolf. Toru Ueda is an engineer from Tokyo who always dreamt of being an animal. Ueda also hired Zeppet to get his custom-made wolf suit.
Zeppet took 50 days to make the costume and Ueda met the team multiple times for fittings. Ueda said, “At the final fitting, I was amazed at my transformed self in the mirror. It was a moment when my dream came true. My order to look like a real wolf walking on hind legs was difficult, but the complete suit looked exactly like what I imagined.”
Ueda told LADbible, “Because of my love for animals since childhood and some realistic animal suits appearing on TV, I dreamed of being one someday.”
In an interview with the UK-based The Times, Ueda had earlier said, “When I wear my costume I feel I’m no longer human, I’m free of human relationships. All kinds of troubles, related to work and other things – I can forget about them.”