Here Comes Honey Boo Boo

Honey Boo Boo's Uncle Poodle says he was -- and still is -- the victim of some horrible anti-gay attacks ... suffered at the hands of violent homophobes who broke his ribs and dislocated his jaw.

Poodle -- real name Lee Thompson -- dropped the bombshells in a video to commemorate GLAAD's Spirit Day -- which was created to fight intolerance and violence against the LGBT community.

Poodle explains, "Being gay in the South ... people don't like it."

"Growing up as a kid, I was bullied day in and day out ... broke ribs, dislocated jaw, cars vandalized ... I've had cars vandalized to this day."

Still, Poodle says he was able to get through it all because of his family and friends who stand by him.

Pittsburgh Pirates superstar Andrew McCutchen loves Honey Boo Boo. HE LOVES IT. And he's not afraid to admit it.

McCutchen -- who recently signed a 6-year, $51.5 MILLION contract with the Pirates -- was strollin' through L.A. Live yesterday ... at the same time a Carrie Underwood concert was going on.

McCutchen swears he wasn't at the Underwood show (though he says he is a fan) ... but fessed up about his obsession with the "Honey Boo Boo" show.

'Honey Boo Boo' and her Mama June are making a huge splash in Hollywood -- by hitting their glamorous hotel pool and flaunting some good ole redneck culture (yeah, we said it).

Mama June wasn't laughing at the way she and her family were portrayed on "South Park" earlier this month ... telling TMZ the way the show focused on her weight was just plain "trashy."

June and her daughter Alana -- aka Honey Boo Boo -- just appeared on "TMZ Live" ... when we asked how they handled being spoofed on shows like "South Park" and "Saturday Night Live."

June's response -- "Me being a big person, I didn't take offense ... that show is just not a show that I would want to be on in the first place."

She added, "Just the way they portrayed the show ... it was kinda trashy."

June, Alana and the rest of the gang were mocked hard in the "South Park" ep -- in which Honey Boo Boo got a heart transplant ... with a pig heart ... after eating too much 'sketti and butter."

Honey Boo Boo and Mama June are coming to TMZ Live Monday. We're excited, so we got to thinkin'...

Honey Boo Boo = GOLD MINE ... at least according to one Georgia store that's had a record-setting SALES BOOM after it was featured on the show.

TMZ spoke with the owner of Lucy Lu's Boutique -- who began selling HBB-themed shirts after the Boo Boo clan stopped by to purchase a dress on the 4th episode of the show.

If you recall, Honey Boo Boo brought Glitzy the pig to get fitted for an adorable little piggy dress, but Glitzy went crazy ... and the store decided to implement a no-pig policy.

But right after the show aired, Lucy Lu says the store started selling bright-pink HBB t-shirts (below) at $15 a pop ... and in less than a week, they SOLD OUT of all 350 shirts.

Lucy says it's BY FAR the store's fastest selling shirt of all time.

And get this -- Lucy tells us a percentage of the proceeds will benefit two charities: an anti-bullying group AND the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Nobody wants to be a Honey Boo Boo kind of a redneck ... this according to resident redneck expert Larry the Cable Guy.

Larry was out last night in West Hollywood (prime redneck territory) when he told us about the redneck class system ... and explained how the Boo Boo clan sits right at the bottom.

"I'm a redneck ... I'm not a Honey Boo Boo redneck, I'm a Larry the Cable Guy redneck ... there's a big difference between the two rednecks."

Larry explained how there are various "stages" of redneckery -- with Jeff Foxworthy at the top ... and the Boo Boo bunch at the bottom.

With her mother June taking a load off behind her, 7-year-old HBB flashed some leg during her meet-and-greet at Lucy Lu's Boutique in Douglas, GA on Saturday -- signing autographs and posing for pictures with hordes of fans.

The 'Honey Boo Boo' clan may seem unsophisticated -- but after their financial coup ... they've actually got Harv rethinking the whole redneck thing. Anyone smell a Season 2 storyline?

Honey Boo Boo overcame a real bad coke problem this weekend -- barely surviving a special taste test at the Coca-Cola factory in Atlanta ... that nearly made her puke her brains out.

7-year-old Alana "HBB" Thompson visited the Coke factory with her family yesterday, and while she was there ... an employee suggested they all try a special flavor from Italy called "Beverly." Big mistake.

"Beverly" has a famously bitter aftertaste due to its quinine content -- the same ingredient as tonic water -- and Boo Boo did NOT like it one bit, nearly upchucking all over the Coke factory floor.

Honey Boo Boo's mom June tried Beverly too -- and said it tasted like "ear wax."

June Shannon, Honey Boo Boo and the rest of the clan got an enormous salary raise from TLC after the second episode and they didn't even ask for it ... TMZ has learned.

Sources very familiar with the situation tell us ... the family received between $5,000 and $7,000 an episode at the beginning of the series. We're told after the second episode it was apparent to TLC they had a big hit on their hands, so network honchos approached the family and told them they were boosting their salary. Our sources would not be specific ... but they say the increase gave them somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000 an episode.

We're also told TLC volunteered to cover various expenses, including a bodyguard/driver for Sugar Bear, who was incapacitated after his ATV accident.

And there's more. We're told TLC even offered to help the family find a somewhat larger, more secure home, but June refused. She said she wanted to stay in the house because she makes a big deal over Christmas -- decorating the house for the community. June is heavily involved in her town.

And one more thing on the money front. We're told agents have been "swarming" around the family, trying to sign them but June has turned them away. She says she doesn't want to make money the sole object of the show and she's worried if she signs with an agent that person will talk her into making various appearances that will take her away from her family.

"Dance Moms" head honcho Abby Lee Miller is offering up health advice to 7-year-old reality star Honey Boo Boo ... telling TMZ, Boo Boo needs to be down with the fitness if she wants to win pageants.

Miller was at the Abbey in West Hollywood when she admitted she wasn't happy with her own weight issues -- but moments later started ripping HBB ... saying she "needs to get in shape. She needs to be at a dance studio. She needs to be training. She needs to work on her turnout."

If you've seen Abby's show, you know she doesn't pull punches -- even with kids -- but we gotta ask ...

Here comes Sugar Bear Mike! Honey Boo Boo's papa is finally back home tonight after 12 grueling days of hospital treatment for a nasty leg infection.

Sugar was hospitalized almost 2 weeks ago after a leg injury he suffered on his ATV took a turn for the worse ... and required emergency surgery.

Even though he's on the mend, Sugar still needed one of his buddies to carry him up the front stoop at home in McIntyre, GA.

Mama June and the kids all came out to greet Sugar at the door.

Honey Boo Boo's daddy Sugar Bear required emergency surgery to treat a nasty infection in a leg wound he suffered during a freak ATV accident last week -- but doctors will NOT have to amputate ... this according to Mama June.

TMZ broke the story ... Sugar Bear sustained the leg injury while mud boggin' -- which is a fancy term for redneck off-roading. He was pictured on crutches following the injury ... but the wound got so infected that he needed to be hospitalized.

Mama June tells TMZ ... doctors decided to perform a debridement -- a surgical procedure to remove infected tissue from the body so it can heal properly.

Mama June, Honey Boo Boo and the rest of the family visited Sugar Bear after the procedure and said he is in good spirits and craving some peanut butter crackers.

June tells TMZ ... doctors expect Sugar Bear to make a full recovery ... and he should be clear to return to work in 4 weeks.

There was talk that Sugar Bear's infection was so bad, docs would have to remove parts of the leg via amputation ... but June says the rumors are "100 percent not true."

Honey Boo Boo's papa Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson got himself a boo boo of his own yesterday... busting up his foot in a freak "mud boggin'" accident ... TMZ has learned.

For you city folk out there -- "mud boggin'" is basically when you take an off-road vehicle and race it through the mud. It's pretty awesome ... in a redneck sorta way.

Sugar Bear was boggin' his ATV at the time of the accident -- it's unclear if Sugar Bear broke any bones in the wreck ... but he was spotted rockin' a fresh pair of crutches outside of his Georgia home yesterday.

BTW -- nice pants.

Of course, an accident was bound to happen -- Sugar Bear and his buddies get up to some pretty insane ATV shenanigans ... just check this clip.