Stooges frontman Iggy Pop famously sang, “I wanna be your dog.”
Well, that wish is about to come true for travellers to Japan.
A yet-to-opened zoo on the island nation is promising visitors a “place where your wish to become an animal comes true” for about $500 a pop, the New York Post reported.
The website for the Tocotoco Zoo says the attraction will open on Jan. 26 in the Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, with visitors able to rent a human-size dog costume for an undetermined amount of time.
“Have you ever wanted to be an animal?” says the zoo’s website, which Google translated from Japanese. “Have you ever imagined yourself as something other than yourself and felt excited?
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“We offer a service that can help make that wish come true, even if only a little, by having you wear a costume.”
The zoo is being launched by Toco the human collie, a Japanese man who spent about $20,000 on a custom suit that “reproduces the appearance of a real dog walking on four legs,” the Post reported.
“I remember writing in my grade school graduation book that I wanted to be a dog and walk outside,” Toco says in a video on his YouTube channel, which has attracted more than 72,000 subscribers.
“When I fulfilled that dream, this is how it turned out.”
For now, the Tocotoco Zoo will offer guests the use of an Alaskan malamute costume that features a wagging tail and a mouth that can open and close, the website says. If the mouth doesn’t work properly, the user gets a 10% discount.
Want-to-be dogs need to be between 4-foot-11 and 5-foot-10 in height, with a maximum thigh thickness of about 24 inches. The website also warns, “this may be difficult for those with stiff muscles.”
Bookings were being accepted at least 30 days before visitors planned to get their canine fix, with up to three people allowed to join during the experience, giving guests the chance to be part of a pack, the Post reported.
“Super cute!” one commenter posted on YouTube. “I remember really wanting to be a cat when I was a kid, go and live your dreams!”
Another added, “Good dog,” alongside smiley face and dogs emojis.