Insane Videos

Jim Henson's sense of humor is getting a shout-out on the heels of his beloved series hitting Disney+ -- but as we look back, it's clear his puppets weren't always made just for kids.

The 'Muppets' creator used to work on TV commercials for Wilkins Coffee back in the day (from the late '50s through the early '60s) in which he used early versions of puppets he had to peddle java for the food brand. Millennials are just discovering them ... and are in awe.

One guy wrote, "can't stop laughing at these early jim henson commercials where one guy just kills another for not liking wilkins coffee." Yep, that's the gist of these throwback spots -- it's basically one Henson puppet murking another puppet who refuses to drink the Wilkins.

Some of the pranks are harmless, like kicking the puppet off a tree they're both resting on -- but as you watch on ... you'll see some of the sketches become increasingly violent.

In some of the ads, the stockier puppet gets shot at with a gun, bonked over the head, cut with a razor, electrocuted, boiled alive, tossed off buildings and hot air balloons ... and a lot more. It's all in good fun -- but many are pointing out just how graphic they seem to be. Somebody uploaded a full 14-minute clip of all the Henson Wilkins ads, and it's eye-opening.

Henson also had a stint of doing ads with Claussen's Bread -- in which Kermit himself appeared -- and they too are pretty damn dark ... albeit somewhat watered down.

Of course, "The Muppets" is laced with a ton of adult humor too -- so it's no surprise, really, that some of Henson's material with his prized creations pushed the envelope. Just check out this early 'Muppets' toy commercial, where the dolls threaten violence onto the viewers if they don't buy them.

A lot of this stuff aired in the '50s, '60s and '70s ('Muppets' have been around a long time) ... so something tells us Henson and co. could get away with edgy scripts back then. By the time the '90s rolled around, though, 'Muppets' underwent major rebranding ... to be more kid-friendly.

Anyway, most episodes of "The Muppet Show" are now available to stream -- and folks are remembering the genius who brought it all to life. Henson died of pneumonia in 1990.

He was 53.

A man who allegedly attacked and injured several New York Transit officers was wrestled to the ground and pummeled ... and the takedown was captured on video.

The incident went down Tuesday in a subway station. Cops say Alex Lowery was smoking a cigarette which is a violation of MTA rules. They approached him and escorted him out of the station, but as they walked up a flight of stairs to the exit, Lowery allegedly spat in an officer's face.

Lowery began to struggle with the cops, and allegedly punched one of them in the face and head-butted another officer. Cops say Lowery and one of the officers tumbled down the stairs and Lowery again punched a cop in the face.

The Transit cops subdued Lowery, and when he was on the ground an officer threw 11 punches at his head.

Several officers were injured. One had lacerations to his head and injured his knee. Another officer injured his elbow in the struggle.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump went on the attack, saying, "What we're seeing all over America is EXCESSIVE abuse of power by police! Regardless of what happened, NOWHERE in police procedures does it say to punch a suspect in the face multiple times! Police need to be held accountable for their actions, not just when someone is killed!"

NASA's Mars rover landed safely on the Red Planet ... and its 293-million-mile journey is just beginning.

The Perseverance rover touched down at 12:56 PM PT Thursday, and quickly sent back the mission's first image from Mars' surface. As you can see, there's lots of dirt, dust and rocks.

NASA's mission control cheered and fist-bumped from California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory when the rover survived the landing ... a fun payoff after tons of hard work. Normally there would be bear hugs, but the celebration was spaced out and masked up.

Perseverance blasted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral way back in July, and now it's set to start exploring Mars' Jezero Crater in search of signs of ancient life. The crater is the site of an ancient lakebed, which scientists say is loaded with the remains of long-dead microbes.

The SUV-sized spacecraft even brought a small helicopter along for the first time ever, so more space history is on the way. When the chopper takes flight later on in the mission, it will be the first such flight on another planet.

Dr. Michael Obeng -- the plastic surgeon who freed Tessica Brown from her head full of Gorilla Glue -- is reaping benefits or his good deed ... he says patient inquiries are up a hundredfold!!!

The Beverly Hills doctor tells TMZ ... since Tessica's procedure last week -- which he did gratis -- his office has received around 5,000 calls asking about all sorts of surgeries -- although most are unrelated to glue removal.

He says callers inquire about the usual stuff -- breast augmentation, butt lifts, vaginoplasty, yada yada. He says one person even wanted oblique muscle removal ... something he doesn't normally do. Point is ... demand is sky-high.

There's more good news for Dr. Obeng too. He explains how he was able to formulate the anti-glue solvent for Tessica on his own with his staff ... and he thinks he's got something special.

He says there's a potential deal in the works with manufacturing companies to produce his "magical solution" for people like Tessica ... who find themselves in a really bad spot with super glue.

If that happens ... multiple businesses could be booming for the doctor.

You knew Cam Newton could dance ... but did you know he could dance AND skate at the same time?!?!

It's true ... TMZ Sports has obtained video of the NFL star tearing up the floor at a Georgia roller rink over the weekend -- AND THE FOOTAGE IS AMAZING!!

The 31-year-old New England Patriots quarterback hit up Sparkles in Smyrna, GA. with his family for Valentine's Day ... and he wasted no time getting his groove on.

We're told Cam -- in a loud, pink jacket and skinny jeans -- brought his own skates to the rink ... strapped them up and cut a rug all over the place all night long!!

Check out the clip ... Cam is seriously incredible on the skates -- weaving in and out of people like he's on the football field!

One witness tells us Newton was SUPER friendly too ... taking selfies and chatting away with the rest of the skaters.

FYI -- we're told Cam does this pretty often, with one witness saying they spotted him out skating at a different Georgia rink just a few nights prior.

Eli Manning has officially completed his transition from NFL star to clumsy dad ... the dude just WIPED OUT trying to ski and film his kids at the same time, and the vid is hilarious!!

Unclear which mountain the 2-time Super Bowl champ was riding on Tuesday ... but as he was going down it -- he decided getting some footage of his kids cruising would be fun.

SPOILER ALERT: It wasn't -- at least not for the 40-year-old ex-QB.

Eli caught an edge with one of his skis as he was filming and tumbled to the ground.

Don't worry, Manning was OK ... which makes the clip hilarious -- especially because you can hear him begin to scream "Oh shoot!" right before he fell!

In the video, Manning told a concerned witness he was fine ... and he later wrote as a caption on the clip, "This is what happens when I try to ski and film my kids at the same time."

Tekashi 6ix9ine and Meek Mill came an inch from trading punches early Sunday morning ... as their long-standing beef reached a boiling point.

The 2 men were at KOMODO in Miami and as Meek was getting in his car to leave, Tekashi appeared and they both started jawboning. In the video, you hear both rappers and their security yelling at each other. It looks like Tekashi is trying to lunge at Meek.

Tekashi is hurling insults at Meek, accusing him of working with cops ... yes, the irony is not lost on us.

They went from face-to-face to social media where it continued, 6ix9ne posting, “STOP LETTING THESE RAPPERS LIE TO YOU! THEY TO TOUGH FOR SECURITY @meekmill RUNNING AROUND WITH POLICE.”

Meek's response ... "69 waited out side the club for me they tryna get usssssss wtf ... We did not run into eachother I was getting in my car he just popped out ....we almost was smoking on that 69 pack for the love of a viral moment ..... he tryna get something locked up no cap lol"

And then, Meek lowered the boom ... “The feds sent him to take me out wtf. [I] had to spit on him so he retreated lol he really waited outside the club for me. I thought I was dreaming wtf we almost smoked him lol he posed a lil threat popping up in the parking lot waiting for me.”

Meek and Tekashi have squared off ever since Tekashi cooperated with the FBI in getting members of the Nine Trey Bloods locked up.

A freshman at West Virginia University got arrested for barreling down a snowy street in a laundry cart and nailing a police cruiser ... and yes, alcohol was involved.

Josh Beard was partying with friends in the fresh snow ... a tradition at WVU whenever the town gets blanketed.

Josh turned the laundry cart into a sled, but there was one big problem.  You can steer a sled ... not so with a laundry cart, and the proof's in the pics.

Josh is rocketed out of the laundry car as it strikes the police car, and that's all cops needed to see. Josh makes a run for it but he's no match for the police.

He's been charged with disorderly conduct, underage drinking, destruction of property, fleeing from an officer and playing in the streets. Playing in the streets, seriously?

Tessica Brown, the woman who put Gorilla Glue in her hair, is on the final leg of her painful saga -- she's made it to L.A., where a surgeon's waiting to operate.

Tessica touched down at LAX bright and early Wednesday morning, flying in from Louisiana to see the Beverly Hills doctor who says he can fix her rock-solid hair with a lengthy procedure.

She's got her infamous hairdo hidden under a hoodie, which is a lot easier to do now that she's finally managed to chop off her ponytail.

Tessica says her scalp is still in dire straits ... and it's almost time for Dr. Michael Obeng to try and work his magic. Remember, he's offering to perform a $12,500 procedure for free, using medical-grade glue remover to rid her hair of Gorilla Glue once and for all.

Tessica's been to hell and back since substituting Gorilla Glue Spray Adhesive for her normal hair spray ... but now she's got a glimmer of hope.

Stay tuned.

Tessica Brown, the woman who put Gorilla Glue in her hair, is one step closer to relief ... she managed to chop off her ponytail, but she's still got painful days ahead.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Tessica worked on her rock hard hair for 4 hours Tuesday night after work, and she needed a helping hand and some super glue remover to cut off her ponytail for a little bit of relief.

We're told Tessica and her friend used "Goof Off" superglue remover to try and rid her hair of Gorilla Glue, and as you can see they made some progress.

The process looks pretty painful ... Tessica's friend was able to get her ponytail gooey enough to cut it off in tiny chunks using a pair of household scissors.

But, we're told the hair on Tessica's scalp kept hardening and she's still planning to fly to Los Angeles to meet with the Beverly Hills doctor who says he can remove the rest of the adhesive spray product that started this whole saga.

Tessica joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday with a message for her haters ... she says she only put her saga on social media as a cry for help, and vehemently denies she's doing this for clout.

She added that all she wants is her hair fixed, because all previous attempts made her scalp burn intensely.

The same day an avalanche in Utah killed four skiers in Salt Lake Valley, another one about 200 miles east swallowed up a pack of snowmobilers ... who lived to tell the tale.

Check out this video that was captured and shared Saturday somewhere in the Uinta Mountains in northeast Utah ... where four to five guys in snowmobiles were riding around on the side of a mountain, when all of a sudden they felt the ground below them rumble.

The guy who posted this, Miles Penrose, says he then saw a wave of snow barreling down at him and his friends and got swept up in the debris -- this after his avalanche backpack chute (almost like an airbag to keep people safe) failed to deploy.

BTW, you can see the avalanche coming ... and it's absolutely terrifying. Incredible that the cameraman was able to hold on and not lose his phone.

Luckily, Miles says he was only taken out about 20 yards, and was able to keep himself on top of the massive snow pile. Next thing he knew, he was searching for his little brother and pals ... the former ended up being buried about five feet deep, but was alive.

So were his other friends, who were scattered about ... but again, seemed relatively unscathed. The same sadly can't be said for a group of four skiers who were killed in a separate avalanche the same day out in Mill Creek Canyon -- while 4 others were badly injured.

A cop in Ontario, Canada viciously attacked a skateboarder who was begging for help, and it's all on video.

20-year-old Skyler Kent had apparently run a red light in front of police, so they pulled him over and he was given a ticket. The officers then went after Kent for a second time, and he was tackled by one of the cops, and that's where the video starts.

You hear Skyler repeatedly scream, "Get off of me!" as he is smothered in cop. The officer implores Skyler to stop resisting, to which he responds ... he's not resisting.

The cop orders Skyler to put his hands behind his back and then puts a taser to his head and warns, "You want this? I'll light you up!"

As bystanders plead for the cop to stop hurting the skateboarder, the cop screams, "Roll on your stomach!" The officer appears to slam the taser at Skyler's head. Another officer then comes and flips Skyler over. The first cop then grabs Skyler's hair and slams his face into the pavement. It's just brutal.

Now get this ... Skyler was charged with causing a disturbance and assault with attempt to resist arrest.

The Police Chief said the cop in question has been "reassigned to alternate duties" pending the outcome of an investigation, adding the video is "concerning."

Suzanne Somers and her husband learned a scary lesson Friday during a live stream at their home ... Three's NOT company.

Suzanne was doing a Facebook Live makeup tutorial for her fans at her Palm Springs home when an intruder somehow made it up their private driveway and into their house. The 74-year-old "Three's Company" star was visibly startled when she noticed him and then tried to figure out his intentions ... all the while as fans watched.

As her husband, Alan Hamel, looked on, Suzanne engages the intruder, who says he's terrified and claims ghosts were following him. She asks his name and he obliges ... Aaron Carpenter.

She tells Carpenter he should not be in her home ... and Alan echos the sentiment.

You gotta watch Suzanne's reactions as she turns off-camera to talk to Carpenter and gives a dramatic, frightened look into the camera as she glances back.

The intruder clearly seems off but non-threatening as he apologizes for interrupting her show.

Suzanne tells Carpenter he shouldn't be in her home and asks Alan for help in getting him the heck out.

It's not quite over. The intruder says he has a gift, but Suzanne says she's not interested.

He eventually leaves the home and Suzanne says she's calling the cops. We contacted the PD and they said no one reported the incident.

They don't teach this in law school, but they do in playas school -- a Florida man turning on the charm with an attractive judge only to fall flat on his face.

Demetrius Lewis appeared in Judge Tabitha Blackmon's Fort Lauderdale courtroom Thursday for his bail hearing. Due to COVID, it was held remotely, but Lewis was still determined to kick some game to the Judge.

He opened with, "Judge you so gorgeous. I just had to tell you. I love you, I love you." Yeah, Lewis poured it on pretty thick, and actually got a smile out of Judge Blackmon ... who seemed receptive. But, watch the video ... seconds later she totally burst his bubble.

Lewis is facing charges of attempted burglary and ecstasy possession, and also got vocal during the prosecutor's remarks, blurting out, "Whaaat??!!" Yes, just like Lil Jon.

Entertaining for sure, but he might wanna let a lawyer do the talking. Judge Blackmon set his bail at $5,000 ... and Romeo's still sitting in jail.

Everything's rosy for Elon Musk's Starship spacecraft, except for those damn crash landings -- but somehow his engineers are keeping a remarkably positive outlook.

SpaceX's latest unmanned test flight of Starship -- designed to ferry cargo and people to the Moon and Mars -- ended Tuesday the same way it did in December ... with a fireball.

We'll say this ... the reusable capsule looked beautiful on the way up ... but it's that return flight that gets tricky. It's supposed to land vertically, but instead, it came down at an angle and burst into flames.

Bummer right? Not at mission control, where the mushroom cloud didn't stop an engineer from getting out his pom-poms to cheer up the team.

As the smoke was still rising, he bellowed, "Another great test flight" ... described everything that went right and then deadpanned, "We've just to work on that landing a little bit."

There's good reason for Captain Obvious to be so optimistic. Elon predicted Starship's initial test flights would likely crash land, and the primary objective is gathering data. See? Mission accomplished!!!

Imagine getting together with your book club and getting a surprise visit from an author, who also happens to be a former President ... named Barack Obama.

Members of the MahoganyBooks & the Very Smart Brothas Book Club had that very experience Tuesday as Obama surprised and delighted them by crashing their Zoom discussion about his memoir, "A Promised Land."

Barack said he had a couple of objectives for the appearance -- supporting Black-owned independent bookstores, but also ... he just had to meet the guys dubbed themselves the Very Smart Brothas Book Club.

Kinda hard to argue with their name, considering who they landed as a guest.

Obama then fielded some questions, including what he thought about Michelle's "inauguration drip." It's not often you see the ex-Prez struggle for an answer ... but he eventually got there, and said exactly the right thing.