Pokémon-Shaped Cheeto Fetches $87,840 at Auction

Fans witnessed an extraordinary auction last Sunday when a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto resembling Pokémon character Charizard sold for a jaw-dropping $87,840, including buyer’s premium. Measuring just three inches long, this spicy snack-turned-collectible commanded attention from bidders nationwide, ultimately selling for a price that rivals many luxury vehicles.

Goldin Auction House facilitated this remarkable sale, adding another chapter to its history of handling rare and valuable collectibles. Known professionally as “Cheetozard,” this cheesy puff has traveled a fascinating path from an ordinary snack to a high-value auction item.

Journey of a Viral Snack

Most snack foods face a short existence, quickly consumed and forgotten. Cheetozard defied those odds through a series of fortunate events beginning in 2019.

Paul Bartlett, a 37-year-old Pokémon enthusiast, spotted an unusual listing while browsing eBay in 2019. Among typical collectibles appeared an orange Cheeto bearing an uncanny resemblance to Charizard, one of Pokémon’s most iconic characters. Initially listed for $500, Bartlett successfully negotiated a purchase price of $350.

After acquiring his cheesy prize, Bartlett took unusual precautions for snack foods, placing them in a safe for preservation. Years passed, and Bartlett admitted he “forgot all about it” until inspiration struck to share his unusual possession on Instagram.

Four pieces of protective casing now shield Cheetozard from environmental damage, preserving its distinctive dragon-like shape and connection to popular culture. Professional encapsulation elevated a curious food item into a legitimate collectible, ready for serious auction consideration.

From Hands to Hands

Recognizing increased market interest, Bartlett connected with representatives from Arena Club, an online marketplace specializing in trading cards and memorabilia. Following negotiations, Arena Club purchased Cheetozard for $10,000 – marking a substantial profit from Bartlett’s initial $350 investment.

Arena Club continued Cheetozard’s journey by including it as a mystery prize in one of their Slab Packs, which collectors could purchase for $250. Luck favored whichever collector received this particular pack, as Arena Club later assisted in delivering Cheetozard to Goldin Auction House for inclusion in their February auction.

Bidding began modestly at $250 on February 10th, perhaps masking Cheetozard’s true market potential. Competition quickly intensified as collectors recognized its unique appeal, driving bids into five figures and ultimately reaching $72,000 before the buyer’s premium. With premium included, Cheetozard’s final price reached $87,840.

Bartlett expressed mixed feelings about his previous sale, noting: “I was like, ‘Man, this is going to sell for close to $100,000, and I’m going to be sick.’” His candid reflection highlights how challenging valuation becomes for truly one-of-a-kind items with no market precedent.

Goldin Auction House officially confirmed the sale completion for Cheetozard on Sunday, concluding an intense bidding process that captured media attention nationwide. Official auction materials described Cheetozard precisely, emphasizing physical characteristics and provenance. “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. “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.”

Both buyer and seller remain anonymous, with Goldin Auctions citing client confidentiality. Ken Goldin, 59, founded Goldin Auctions specifically to handle rare collectibles across various categories, though few expected snack foods to join that prestigious list.

Fan Culture Connection

Dave Amerman, head of consignment at Goldin, provided insight into Cheetozard’s appeal: “Part of what makes this item so fun and unique is that it bridges two fandoms — Pokémon and Cheetos.” His assessment identifies a key element driving valuation – cross-community appeal.

Charizard ranks among Pokémon’s most beloved characters, consistently appearing in popularity polls since its debut. Official franchise voting in 2020 placed Charizard among its top 10 most popular creatures worldwide. Originally called Lizardon in Japan, Charizard appears as a large orange dragon with turquoise wings and a flame-tipped tail – features coincidentally mimicked by Cheetozard’s form.

Collectors value items connecting multiple interest groups, and Cheetozard perfectly embodies this principle. Food enthusiasts, Pokémon fans, meme collectors, and investment-minded buyers all found reasons to value this particular item, expanding its potential market significantly.

Precedent for Viral Food Items

Surprisingly, Cheetozard does not represent an isolated incident in food collectibles. A previous case emerged in 2017 when another unusually shaped Cheeto resembling Harambe, a gorilla whose story captured worldwide attention, sold for nearly $100,000 on eBay.

Food items gaining collectible status challenge traditional collecting categories. While trading cards, stamps, coins, and memorabilia have established collecting communities with grading standards and price guides, food collectibles operate in newer, less structured territories.

Market analysts pinpoint five critical factors fueling food collectible values in today’s marketplace: manufacturing anomalies creating genuine rarity, as millions of identical items make true variations statistical outliers; strong cultural relevance connecting items to recognizable figures or moments; preservation challenges that naturally limit available specimens; amplified interest through media coverage creating visibility spikes; and cross-community appeal attracting diverse collector groups simultaneously. 

Cheetozard exemplifies this perfect storm, a random production variation resembling a beloved character, professionally preserved despite its fragile nature, widely featured across social media platforms, and appealing to Pokémon enthusiasts and collectible investors alike. 

Each element compounds value exponentially, transforming a 3-inch snack food worth pennies into an $87,840 auction sensation. However, predicting which ordinary items might follow this extraordinary path remains nearly impossible due to the inherently random nature of manufacturing variations and viral popularity.

Social Dynamics of Collecting

Cheetozard exemplifies how modern collecting transcends traditional boundaries between high and low culture. Museums worldwide preserve artifacts of historical significance, while Cheetozard preserves a moment where pop culture, food manufacturing, and collecting communities intersected.

Meme culture significantly influences market values for unusual items. Objects gaining viral attention often experience rapid valuation changes unrelated to intrinsic material value. Memes transform ordinary objects into cultural touchstones, imbuing them with shared meaning and recognition value.

Psychological studies suggest several reasons consumers value unusual collectibles:

1. Ownership offers a connection to larger cultural narratives
2. Scarcity creates perceived value independent of materials
3. Social validation comes from owning recognized items
4. Investment potential appeals to financial motivations
5. Physical manifestations of digital phenomena satisfy tangibility desires

Cheetozard checks each box, explaining its remarkable valuation despite its humble origins as a mass-produced snack food.

Food Items as Investment Gold

Professional collectors increasingly monitor unusual items gaining viral attention, recognizing potential investment opportunities outside traditional collectible categories. Food items previously joined trading cards, comics, and memorabilia as investment pieces, though preservation challenges create additional considerations.

Market expansion benefits auction houses and authentication services, which adapt existing practices to accommodate new collectible categories. Custom preservation methods, like Cheetozard’s four-piece case, emerge to address preservation challenges unique to food items.

Food manufacturers themselves monitor these developments with interest. While companies like Frito-Lay (makers of Cheetos) cannot intentionally create such anomalies without compromising quality control, viral moments provide valuable marketing opportunities and brand awareness.

Some market analysts suggest we’ve entered a new era where virtually anything might become collectible, given sufficient media attention and cultural relevance. Others maintain skepticism about long-term value retention for such unconventional items.

Social Media Erupts

Social media platforms exploded with commentary about Cheetozard’s staggering sale price. Reactions ranged widely, reflecting divided public opinion about valuing food items as collectibles.

Strong moral judgments appeared in comments addressing wealth allocation priorities. User @dotsamarai wrote passionately about perceived social responsibility: “I normally don’t judge the way other people spend their money but if you choose to spend this much on this […] instead of helping those in need, you’re a royal piece of […]” – representing views that high-value purchases carry ethical implications regarding wealth distribution and charitable giving. Comments like these reflect ongoing societal debates about luxury spending versus addressing humanitarian needs.

Philosophical reflections on societal values surfaced among commenters. User @atbriones expressed existential disappointment: “Every time I have high hopes for humanity I see something stupid like this” articulating a sentiment that questions prioritizing astronomical sums for novelty items amid numerous global challenges and needs.

Opportunistic responses also emerged. User @S3nor__ humorously claimed: “I got like 20 hot Cheeto lookin Pokémon sitting around somewhere in my house. Who’s tryna bid em?” – demonstrating how high-profile sales inspire others to seek similar opportunities, however unlikely.

More cynical interpretations appeared as well. User @subtleepiphany suggested darker motives behind high-value unusual collectibles: “Smells like money laundering to me” voicing suspicions shared by some financial analysts about extraordinary prices paid for items with subjective valuations and limited regulatory oversight.

Snack-Sized Fortune: Beyond Money

Cheetozard’s journey from snack bag to five-figure auction offers a fascinating insight into modern collecting psychology. Manufacturing variation created an object of unexpected value, sustained through preservation efforts and cultural connections.

Collectors seeking similar opportunities might consider monitoring social media for unusual items gaining attention, though replicating Cheetozard’s specific circumstances remains highly improbable. Market unpredictability makes such investments speculative by nature.

For casual observers, Cheetozard represents an amusing example of how value gets created in contemporary markets. Millions enjoy Cheetos daily without preservation considerations, yet one piece commanded a price equivalent to college tuition or home down payments.

Future food collectibles will likely emerge, though predicting specific items remains impossible. Random manufacturing variation, cultural connections, and viral attention combine unpredictably, creating opportunities discoverable only through luck and attentiveness.

Perhaps most importantly, Cheetozard reminds us how joy, humor, and shared cultural appreciation drive many collecting communities. Beyond investment potential or bragging rights, collections connect people through shared interests and appreciation for remarkable finds – even when those finds began as humble snack foods.