About

(NOTE: I will be using Rag Doll and Ragdoll interchangably on this page.)

Rag Doll, as a character, has been around since 1942. The first Rag Doll, a contortionist named Peter Merkel, was an antagonist to the original Flash (Jay Garrick), and his costume was similar to Raggedy Andy. Others have taken up the moniker over the years, but to be honest, most of the history of this character as a whole seems to be summed up best as "Everything A Goddamn Ordeal With Area Family". So, again, we're just focusing on one specific iteration of the character: the incarnation from the 2004 animated TV series The Batman (which, as of December 2022, is so far the character's only animated appearance).

Ragdoll is a triple-jointed contortionist who uses his skills to steal priceless artifacts, making him a bit of a rival to Catwoman when the targets of their thievery happen to be the same. The costume he wears in this iteration is that of a more homemde ragdoll, with bits of fabric sewn together and what appears to be a rope tied around his neck to keep his cowl in place. He is a tall, very slender man. Like, it looks like the majority of his limbs could be sticks. And those limbs are very flexible.

While he usually appears in costume, there have been occasional glimpses of Ragdoll's civilian identity. Still tall, but the slimness is a bit more padded out by a very nice suit. His face is a bit bony, topped with dirty blond hair and adorned with sunken-in hazel eyes. He actually looks pretty similar to Peter Merkel in the original Flash comics. (NOTE: Despite this, we never officially learn his actual name in this version. I have seen a number of fans assuming that his name would be "Peter Merkel" regardless. I am among these fans.)

Ragdoll first appears in Season 2 Episode 9, "Ragdolls to Riches". -

Why I Like Them

I am saying this without one bit of irony: If this show had been more popular or better recieved or had come out a bit later, Ragdoll would've had a pretty good chance of being a Tumblr Sexyman.

And uh... I'd be okay with that? Cuz I also have a massive crush on this tall bendy man.

So, some background: The Batman (the animated TV show) was a show that my partner (who I love so much) loved watching as it was airing, mainly for the show's version of the Penguin (voiced by Tom Kenny). I've known that this Penguin had been their own blorbo for years at this point, so I asked them "Hey, can we watch the show so I can know what Tom Kenny Penguin sounds like?" So we started watching just the Penguin episodes. Then I was like "Hey, can we backtrack to watch at least the intro eps of some of the villain characters who have appeared or are gonna appear in the Penguin episodes?" So we started doing that.

And then we got to "Ragdolls to Riches."

Now. I knew going into this that Jeff Bennett voiced Ragdoll. I had no idea what he sounded like. Until he opened his mouth. And I was blown away cuz this is almost the exact kind of voice that caused me to crush on another character he had voiced an iteration of.

So. The voice. I'd describe it as "Take the voice of Kowalski from the TV show, dial back a bit on the Smartness and dial up the Charm a bit more."

Because he is very fun. And very charming.

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