He might not be saving children from wells, but this man's resemblance to Lassie is uncanny.
A Tokyo-based YouTuber who goes by Toco spent upwards of $14,000 for a custom costume designed to make him look like a collie. And now, on his first walk outside—posted July 21 though he said was filmed last year when he was interviewed by German TV station RTL—Toco can be seen performing many dog-like tricks (such as rolling over) while also opting for human mannerisms, including waving at passerby.
And real dogs are pawsitively confused. In the video, actual four-legged creatures can be seen approaching Toco before darting away.
And unsurprisingly, the YouTube videos comment section was filled with users who, like the dogs, were trying to make sense of the situation. One user wrote, "This is the most bizarre and insane thing I've ever seen," while another howled, "Have to admit. That costume is well made. The face features are amazing."
Back in April 2022, Toco first announced his furry future. "I ordered a costume!" he wrote on Twitter. "Thanks to you, I was able to fulfill my dream of becoming an animal!"
Indeed, it's been his wish since he was a child. "I think it was a desire to transform," he previously told The Daily Mail. "I've thought about it since I can remember."
"Do you remember your dreams from when you are little? You want to be a hero or a wizard," he continued. "'I remember writing in my grade school graduation book that I wanted to be a dog and walk outside."
However, Toco has felt he's had to hide his true self from his friends. "I don't want my hobbies to be known, especially by the people I work with," he shared. "They think it's weird that I want to be a dog. For the same reason why I can't show my real face."
And only a few of Toco's friends and family know of his pastime. "I rarely tell my friends because I am afraid they will think I am weird," he explained. "My friends and family seemed very surprised to learn I became an animal."
As for why he chose to transform into a collie? "I thought a big animal close to my size would be good considering that it would be a realistic model, so I decided to make it a dog," he told the outlet. "There are restrictions, but you can move in it. However, if you move too much, it will not look like a dog."
And it was a doggone process getting here. According to Zeppet—the company who created the realistic costume, the disguise took 40 days to make.
"At the request of a customer, we made a model of a dog suit," Zeppet's website reads. "Modeled after a collie, it reproduces the realistic appearance of a real, quadrupedal dog."