Every morning, Armando boards the metro in San Blas carrying large black bags. Some think he’s carrying rubbish. Inside is Buzz Lightyear.

Half an hour later, he reaches the city centre and transforms. He doesn’t call it putting on a costume. For him, becoming a character means becoming an artist.

He was already performing in Peru before coming to Spain to try his luck. His costumes are made to measure and crafted to look as real as possible. “There may be many Buzzes,” he says, “but there’s only one like this.”

He lives on the tips people leave for a photo. Some leave nothing. Others can turn his whole day around. He is proud to make a living from his work and provide for his children, just as his mother taught him.

But what matters most can’t be counted in coins: seeing someone arrive weighed down by their problems, then watching them smile.

“Stealing a smile” gives him the strength to keep going.

And when he takes off the mask, he becomes just another face in the crowd.