The puppet maker of Intramuros: A story of craftsmanship and resilience

Enrique "Ricky" Paez is a puppet maker who currently sells his wares to tourists in historic Fort Santiago in Intramuros. He has been doing this for over 40 years, and his puppets are known for their intricate craftsmanship and vibrant colors.

Indeed, seeing those colorful, dancing, avian-inspired puppets is a nostalgic trip as we had seen them numerous times during the halcyon days of our youth while walking the streets of Manila with our parents.

For sure, children of the late '80s and '90s in Metro Manila are familiar with them - gangly, whimsical, anthropomorphic birds suspended in a puppeteer's "cross brace." They are painted in garish, bright colors, and these marionettes are often given as gifts by parents or aunts and uncles to their rambunctious young ones.

Highs and the lows of puppet making

Ricky reminisces about his iconic wooden toys and shares how he started creating his unique puppets to Manila Bulletin.

Ultimately, we learned that, like the fictional Geppetto, the poor woodcarver and creator (and father) of Pinocchio, Ricky's journey began with love.

"My younger brother Jessie wanted me to build him a toy," Ricky shared in Filipino, "I was still in high school then, and my brother was in grade school."

By then, the budding artist was already an art enthusiast, loving to draw and paint, and displaying particular talent in arts and crafts.

He was pondering the type of toy he would craft for his brother when, while watching television, he spotted the gigantic, bright yellow “Big Bird” from Sesame Street, and he knew he had his answer.

"I promptly fashioned the toy from bits of wood and feathers I had found and gave it to him. He loved it," recalled Ricky.

His younger brother proudly brought the puppet to school and showed it to his classmates as his new toy. This marked the beginning of Ricky's lifelong journey as a puppet-maker. The toys proved to be so popular that his brother's classmates wanted one for themselves.

"I was able to sell those puppets at our school in Tondo for twenty pesos each. That was already a significant amount of money back in the late '70s," Ricky said. Today, his creations cost P300 for the small-sized puppet, P700 for the medium-sized one, and P1,000 for the large size.

After that, it was a string of successes for the artisan, who managed to sell his wares in Ermita and later in Malate.

Ricky's time selling his toys in Malate proved particularly lucrative, as his customers were the tourists frequenting the famous area with bars, clubs, and Old-World restaurants. “I remember those days in the '80s,” Ricky recalled. “The bar owners would take me to their clubs and have me play and perform with my puppets. The foreigners would laugh and enjoy the night, and then they would buy the toys. I would sell dozens of puppets in a single night.”

The pinnacle of Ricky's success came in the late 1980s when he partnered with a businessman interested in exporting his creations overseas. With his partner, he managed to send his creations to Japan, Hong Kong, and other parts of Asia.

"I was flying high, for sure. I was sending crates of my puppets overseas. I went to Japan using a special visa, and I went to Hong Kong to procure more raw materials for my puppets. I was making good money."

But then, due to the economic downturns of the early '90s and the batches of puppets that were returned by Japan due to manufacturing issues, Ricky experienced a downturn in his business.

"Those were hard times. From that big success, I soon found myself back on the streets selling puppets," Ricky told us. "But we moved on, survived. My children grew up, and now I have grandkids, you know?”

Optimism after the pandemic

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ricky was forced to close his shop and stop selling his puppets. As a street vendor, he was deemed “non-essential” and unable to work from home.

"It was a very challenging time for me," Ricky said. "I had never been out of work for such an extended period before. I was worried about how I would support myself and my family."

Now, with the end of the lockdown and the beginning of the “new normal,” Ricky is back to selling his puppets in Intramuros. He has set up in front of Fort Santiago, and now, his puppets are as popular as ever.

"I'm thrilled to be back to doing what I love," Ricky said. "I love seeing the smiles on people's faces when they encounter my puppets. It's a wonderful feeling to know that I'm bringing joy to others."

He admits that things are not quite the same as they used to be. There are fewer tourists in Intramuros, and Ricky's sales have declined. However, he remains optimistic that things will improve in the future.

"I'm confident that tourism will eventually rebound," he said. "In the meantime, I'll continue making my puppets and bringing joy to people in whatever way I can. I am happy and content with my life. I love being able to do what I want to do, which is making these puppets."

He spoke of his pride in being a self-made man. "Right from the start, I've been my own boss. I work for myself, and I'm proud of that. I'm not wealthy, and my house is leaking because of the rains, but I have no debts. I'm truly thankful for everything we have now."