The stage was already set up, looking like an old-school workshop. It had a giant sewing machine atop a long table, an anvil, wooden benches, hammers, wrenches and saws scattered around... Even some old bicycle wheels. Most of the lights were off, keeping the audience inside the circus in the dark about what would happen.

The lights came back on, and some old, Charlie Chaplin-style music started playing. From behind the curtains, Brad, the strongman zebra came out. The audience cheered upon seeing him, some already knowing who he was. He was wearing a white tank-top below some blue overalls, with only the right strap going up to his shoulder. The left one was flapping under his muscular arm, due to a tear in the suit. The strong animal also had plantigrade feet, as opposed to hooves, which allowed him to wear a pair of thick, worn out, black boots. To complete his look, a dull green newsboy cap was on his head. Despite all the clothing, the equine's musculature was defined, and his arms were out in the open for everyone to see.

He was also wearing a backpack. It was quite large too, fitting perfectly on his broad back. Once he made it to the center of the stage, he took it off his back and dropped it on the floor, making a dull thud on impact. After pretending to wipe some sweat off his forehead, he crouched down to open it. He pulled both zippers apart, and flipped the backpack over, dumping its contents on the floor.

There was only one thing inside. A large rag doll. Its body was dark green, decorated with small, colorful patches sewn across its body. It had two white crosses for eyes, a curved white line for a smile, and many threads of white fabric coming out of its head to simulate hair. It was innocent and simple, as it sat there on the ground, limbs compressed against its body. They did sprawl out a bit due to the impact of being dropped on the floor.

Brad then lowered his right arm to grab at the doll's wrist, hefting it above his head with ease. The ragdoll sat there, lifeless, dangling by his arm. The zebra then started to spin him around, as if inspecting its entire body. The puppet-like object was held by its leg, waist, limbs swinging around as the strongman spun him. After much fumbling around, those thick fingers found their way into a tear on the puppet's left wrist. Brad made sure to show it off to everyone in the audience. After that, the performer took it to the table where the sewing machine was.

The ragdoll's body was laid flat on the table, and Brad placed it's torn wrist right below the needle of the sewing machine. As soon as he moved his hands away to turn on the machine, that doll limb mysteriously fell off the table, dangling off the edge. The strongman stared blankly at that for a few moments before putting the dummy's limb back in position, only for the same thing to happen again. He repeated a few times, a little faster with each repetition, his complexion showing more and more frustration.

The big brute placed his right hand on his chin, thinking about what he should do while tapping his foot on the ground. With a snap of his fingers, he began executing his plan. He positioned the arm like normal, but now, he moved the doll's left leg up, in a front split motion, until his foot touched the table. Brad was hoping to use the weight of that leg to lock the arm into position. What he didn't expect was that leg to swing back over as soon as he released it, working like a bowstring. Of course, the puppet's foot kicked the strongman's face as it moved back. Brad spun on one foot to go along with the impact and started rubbing his face afterward. All accompanied by a comical trumpet sound from the music and laughter from the audience.

The strongman was furious. He tried to use that leg again and again, but the doll was stubborn. He even tried both legs at once, making the toy do a frontbend. He even went further, lowering the legs off the side of the thin, long table, adding another 45° to that frontbend. Needless to say, those limbs catapulted back to their original position once released. The performer had to think of something else. If bending forward wasn't working... Then maybe, bending backward would do.

The muscular zebra grabbed the puppet's wrists with one hand, and its ankles with the other. He lifted the toy off the table with ease and lowered it to waist level. He kept it horizontal, facing the floor. It was the perfect position for the equine to raise his right foot... and stomp it down right on the dummy's lower back, pushing it down while still holding its limbs, creating a V shape with its body. Not yet satisfied, the strongman brought his hands together, making the ragdoll's shoulders and legs touch. While still holding it down with his boot.

The doll didn't react this time. The zebra even tried moving his hands, trying to see if there was any resistance, but it seemed the toy had no life in him anymore. The performer felt safe to remove his foot off the dummy's back. It didn't spring back, the backbend remained the same. Brad began swinging the toy around before smirking and looking around at the audience members.

The zebra moved that limp doll around, before raising it in front of him. Then he swung it down and jumped over it. He was using the toy as a rope for jump rope. The toy's body was a perfect curve, its back bent as the strongman hopped over it and swung its body around. Brad's strong legs jumped high, enough to avoid hitting the doll as it swung by. Well, until the toy sprung back to life, unbending its back and raising its body, right as Brad jumped.

Brad released the ragdoll's wrists and ankles, launching him backward. The zebra's massive body leaned forward as it fell. He gave the impression that he fell face first, but he used his arms to fall without getting hurt. The audience enjoyed it nonetheless, a lot of them laughing or clapping. The goofy music was instrumental to make moments like this shine. The strongman hopped back on his feet, storming with anger as he stomped his way toward the doll. The performer crouched and grabbed the stubborn toy's legs, putting them behind its back. Not even going over the head, simply taking his feet and moving them to either side of his hips, and then behind the back. He figured that should restrict its movements, and breathed a sigh of relief, placing a hand on his chest.

Next, he draped that doll, like a towel, over on the anvil. Its body was bent at an almost 90° angle on its lower back over the edge of the metal anvil. Its hands were touching the floor. Brad was ready to see the limits of what this doll could do. With the backpack he brought close by, he grabbed each of the toy's ankles with one hand, unhooking each from behind its back. He then raised the dummy by only its ankles, one leg forward, one backward for a front split. As he raised them, he also brought them together for a 360° oversplit. Not to mention how its torso was also bent backward, head and arms dangling while upside down.

After that, the beefy strongman started swinging the doll around, building momentum. He used that momentum to toss the toy up in the air, while also giving it some spin. That limb body did a full rotation with its limbs dragging along. Brad caught it by the ankle, the head a safe distance from the floor. The strongman then did the same as before, grabbing each ankle with a hand and bringing them together, this time in a side oversplit. He then threw that limp body up in the air again. The toy flipped two times in the air before Brad caught him, this time by the wrist. The performer launched him back up right away, swinging it from behind his back. And so began a bit of a juggling act, with the zebra catching the doll with ease and throwing it into the air as if it was weightless. The crowd cheered him on, amazed by the precision and strength.

It all ended with the strongman throwing the puppet one last time, and grabbing the nearby backpack, holding it wide open for the toy to land inside. Brad moved it right under its body. The ragdoll fit inside like a glove, landing on its back. Its limbs folded to fill in the space available inside the backpack. The music stopped as the puppet landed inside, and the applause from the crowd was uproarious. The strongman let out a sigh of relief before closing zipping the backpack shut, leaving only a tiny gap open. He put it on his back and began walking towards the back of the stage.

As Brad was leaving, a bit of dark green cloth began escaping from the gap between the zippers, opening the backpack up. Once open, the doll jumped out of it, doing a frontflip and landing on its feet, kneeling. With a hand on its neck, it stood up, swinging that arm and finally removing the headpiece, revealing the performer inside. It was none other than Wucro the Monkey. With a big, wide-open smile on his face, he stretched his arms out, waving to everyone in the audience. Brad also joined him, waving with a more timid smile than Wucro's. The two of them held hands as they bowed many times, before the monkey got back inside the backpack for his partner to take him out of the stage. The act left the spectators amazed and speechless, as well as excited for the next performances.

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Here's another story I wrote, about one of Wucro's favorite performances, the Ragdoll Act! Featuring Brad, a strongman zebra the primate works with in the circus. Hope you enjoy!