Is there any resources on making the most basic character for prototyping?

Basically, I want the most simple character made out of 14-15 cubes / spheres. Then make a ragdoll out of it, and create a couple of basic animations for it. Without going through Blender or another AAA game tool if possible... Everytime I try to find a tutorial, they use complex 5 billion polygon characters that already have preanimations and it's just drag-n-drop from there...

Please advise, thanks!