A Flamin’ Hot Cheeto shaped like beloved Pokémon Charizard, affectionately referred to as “Cheetozard,” has sold at auction after nearly a month for nearly $88,000, according to Goldin, the online marketplace that auctioned it off.
As PEOPLE magazine reports, the New Jersey-based marketplace put the unique collectible — which measures at 3 inches in length and comes with its own custom Pokémon card — up for auction in its 2025 February Pop Culture Elite Auction, where it earned an initial bid of $250 on Feb. 10.
Exactly 60 bids later, the spicy, critter-shaped snack earned a winning bid of $72,000 on Sunday, March 2. And, with Goldin’s buyer’s premium, the total cost of the Pokémon-shaped Cheeto came to a whopping $87,840.
The company announced the sale on social media later the same day, and the reaction to the snack — and its selling point — were mixed. In the comments of Goldin’s announcement, a joint Instagram post with eBay, people questioned who would spend such a high sum on the Cheeto, while others expressed their fondness for it. “If I was on death row. I’d want this to be my final meal,” one person wrote. “What is wrong with people 😂😂,” a different user questioned.
The official Cheetos account also acknowledged the sale, commenting just one emoji: “👀.”
Cheetozard was initially discovered and preserved sometime between 2018 and 2022 by 1st & Goal Collectibles — a collectibles store in Holly Springs, Ga. — and “surged in popularity” online last year, Goldin said.
The collectible’s viral moment is evidenced by an April 2024 Instagram post 1st & Goal Collectibles shared, which garnered over half a million likes. “Cheetozard continues!” the store wrote alongside a video of the snack. “We’ve had the Cheetozard for about 5 years now,” the store continued in part, “and we totally forgot we had it until cleaning out the safe!”
For anyone disappointed that the Pokémon-shaped snack is now off the market, do not despair — Cheetozard was not alone. From Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Loch Ness Monster, eBay is absolutely brimming with cheesy snacks shaped like all sorts of characters.
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Photo Credit: TonelsonProductions / Shutterstock.com