A Pokémon-shaped Cheeto sold for nearly $90,000 (Credit: Goldin.co/ CC-BY-SA-2.0)

A Flamin' Hot Cheeto resembling Charizard, the iconic, dragon-like Pokémon with wings, has sold for an astounding $87,840. The Fire/Flying-type Pokémon look-alike, named "Cheetozard," was listed for $250 by Goldin Auctions on February 10, 2025. After a bidding war that stretched into the early hours of March 2, 2025, it sold for $72,000 plus $15,840 in fees to an anonymous buyer. Cheetozard is now the most expensive food item ever sold by Goldin.

"Goldin specializes in rare and one-of-a-kind collectibles, and the Cheetozard is exactly this,” says Dave Amerman, the head of consignment at Goldin. "The art of what makes this item so fun and unique is that it bridges two fandoms — Pokémon and Cheetos."

The Cheeto looks like the Pokémon Charizard (Credit: Pokémon.com/ CC-BY-SA-2.0)

Nobody knows who initially found Cheetozard. However, in 2019, Paul Bartlett, the owner of a collectibles shop in Georgia, saw it on eBay for $500. After some negotiating, he bought the chip for $350. Bartlett stored it in his safe and forgot about it until 2024. Believing Pokémon fans might like it, he posted a short video of the unusual chip on Instagram. His post quickly went viral.

"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," Bartlett wrote in the post.

The Cheeto was initially bought off eBay for just $350 (Credit: Goldin.co/ CC-BY-SA-2.0)

Realizing its value, Bartlett decided to sell it. He found a buyer on eBay willing to pay $10,000. However, the deal fell through because he refused to mail it, and eBay did not allow in-person delivery. In November 2024, he sold it for the same amount to Arena Club, an online trading marketplace. Arena Club later sold it as part of a mystery card pack. The anonymous buyer then took Cheetozard to Goldin Auctions for a pop culture auction on February 10 — and the rest, as they say, is history.

Unique Cheeto shapes are not unusual. Many even have dedicated social media accounts. However, most have little to no financial value and usually get eaten. The one exception is a gorilla-shaped Cheeto that fetched $99,000 in an auction in 2017.

Resources: CNN.com, Artnet.com, Smithsonianmag.com