Exorbitantly priced rare Pokémon cards are nothing new, but this is certainly the first time a snack food vaguely resembling one has sold for five figures.
Images of a 3-inch-long Flamin’ Hot Cheeto that looks surprisingly like the character Charizard went viral online in 2024. The uniquely shaped snack, called “Cheetozard,” was later put up for sale through Goldin Auctions, which led to a bidding war among collectors.
Charizard was part of the first generation of Pokémon released in the 1990s. The character is one of the most popular of the Pokémon lineup, second only to Pikachu.
An opening bid of $350 was quickly surpassed. In the end, a total of 60 bids drove the purchase price up to $87,840, which included $72,000 for the item and several thousand more for a buyer’s premium.
Cheetozard officially sold on Sunday, March 2, per Entertainment Weekly.
The auction site described the item as being “affixed to a customized Pokémon card and encapsulated in a clear card storage box” for display and preservation.
“It was initially discovered and preserved sometime between 2018-2022 by 1st & Goal Collectibles,” the description says. “The Cheeto surged in popularity on social media platforms in late 2024.”
The surprising snack food was shared in an Instagram video posted by 1st and Goal Collectibles, a store in Georgia.
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“We’ve had the Cheetozard for about 5 years now and we totally forgot we had it until cleaning out the safe! Loads of offers have come in,” the video caption said. The post helped the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto draw attention from potential collectors worldwide.
