A Cheeto shaped like the beloved Pokémon Charizard has sold at auction for $87,840.
The Goldin auction house listed the snack as sold on Sunday. The buyer has chosen to remain anonymous. In addition to the snack, the buyer also received a storage box and a Pokémon card. Bidding lasted nearly a month. The opening price was just $250.00. The winning bid came in on March 2.
“Presented is a 3-inch long Flamin’ Hot Cheeto in the shape of the Pokémon Charizard, affixed to a customized Pokémon card and encapsulated in a clear card storage box,” the auction’s description states without noting that the sale price rounds out at nearly $30,000 per inch.
“It was initially discovered and preserved sometime between 2018-2022 by 1st & Goal Collectibles. The Cheeto surged in popularity on social media platforms in late 2024.”
According to the listing, 60 bids were placed on the uniquely shaped snack. The winning bid was $72,000 plus a buyer’s premium, Goldin’s receives 22 percent of the final fee.
After posting confirmation of the sale on its Instagram page, Frito-Lay, owners of Cheetos, responded with the “two eyes” emoji.
Others were less enthusiastic. “I’m just disappointed in the world right now,” wrote one follower.
“Who the hell bought this? smh,” said another.
However, one person looked upon the Cheeto more positively.
“If I was on death row. I’d want this to be my final meal,” wrote the user.
While one sought to capitalize on the interest in food-shaped Pokemon.
“I got an onion shaped like bulbasaurs back taking offers,” the user joked as Bulbasaur is shaped like an onion.
Charizard is a fire-breathing dragon who is especially popular among franchise fans thanks to his rebellious attitude.
“Goldin specializes in rare and one-of-a-kind collectibles, and the Cheetozard is exactly this. Part of what makes this item so fun and unique is that it bridges two fandoms — Pokémon and Cheetos,” Goldin’s head of consignment Dave Amerman told Today.com.
In 2017, a Cheeto that resembled Harambe the Gorilla was sold on eBay for close to $100,000.
This most recent sale has also drawn comparisons to Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s artwork, a banana duct-taped to a wall, that sold at Sotheby’s for $6.2 million in 2024.
