Maggie Cai, Shirley Cheng and Shannon Murphy of Insider spent time with the incredibly talented New York City marionettist Ricky Syers. Syers opened up about his craft, his characters, and his careful process for choosing specific individuals for his lifelike marionettes. He also shared how Rusty the dog is made partially from bicycle chains and demonstrated how he makes clothing for each character.
Ricky Syers creates all different kinds of marionettes by hand and entertains with them in parks in New York City. Almost all his marionettes are inspired by locals. We followed along as he made an outfit for one and got a deeper dive into what it takes to be a marionette performer in New York.
