A dog lover who has gone viral for his scarily realistic border collie costume has taken his first steps outside.
The Japanese man, known only as Toco, has spent £12,480 on a lifelike costume to fulfil his fantasy of “becoming an animal”.
He has gained more than 30,000 subscribers on YouTube for his strange videos that see him playing in his back garden and doing tricks in exchange for fake dog food.
But he has now taken it one step further as he’s moved his antics to the public streets in a bid to meet other people and animals for the first time.
In videos posted to his channel, Toco can be seen being taken for a walk on a leash and is later seen sniffing at other dogs in a park before rolling around on the floor.
Toco’s strange antics appeared to be well-received by passersby in the video, with one dog who seemed extremely inquisitive seen sniffing the costume.
Despite having built a fan base, Toco isn’t ready to expose his true identity just yet.
Toco told MailOnline in May last year: “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.”
The dog-lover said he has hidden his identity and his human face from the world because he doesn’t want to be judged by people he knows. “I don’t want my hobbies to be known,” he said, “especially by the people I work with.”
Speaking to the Mirror at the end of last year, Toco added: “I rarely tell my friends because I am afraid they will think I am weird.
“My friends and family seemed very surprised to learn I became an animal.”
Toco said he enjoys “doing things that only dogs do”.
In September, Toco first attempted an outdoor walk. He said in a YouTube video documenting the experience he felt “nervous and a little scared”.
