Friendships between two ordinary people in a big city don’t often make headlines or draw the attention of filmmakers. But in New York, the unusual camaraderie between a puppet maker and an 87-year-old woman has made them mini-celebrities. Meet Ricky Syers and Doris Diether, who met when Ricky was showcasing his puppets in the city’s Washington Square Park and have been best buddies ever since.

Ricky, once a part-time musician and now a full-time puppeteer, hand-makes detailed marionettes of people and animals which he uses to stage small street performances in the park. Doris has been a community activist in New York’s West Village since the 1950s, but is now more popular as Ricky’s gleeful co-puppeteer.

In July 2013, when Ricky had been charming children, tourists and amblers in the park for about a week, Doris began to stop by to watch his little puppet shows. Then one day, she struck up a silent friendship by showing him an old newspaper cutting of an article on marionettes that she herself had written in her younger days. A few weeks later, Ricky responded by gifting her a new puppet he had made – a mini Doris that looked exactly like her. The Doris doll soon became a part of the street performances that the two friends began to stage together.

The lovable duo has since then featured several times in the local media. Fans of the popular Humans of New York photo blog might remember Ricky and Doris from a series of pictures featuring their stories on the blog.

In this short film – titled Ricky & Doris: An Unconventional Friendship in New York City. With Puppets! – Ricky and Doris share stories of life, work, artistry and how puppets brought them together.