A 3-inch Flamin' Hot Cheeto shaped like Charizard sold for $87,840 at an auction on Sunday. The final bid, which was initially $72,000, was boosted by a buyer's premium, bringing the total to $87,840.
The Cheeto, which went up for auction on February 10 with an initial price of $250, was discovered by Georgia-based collectibles store, 1st and Goal Collectibles, sometime between 2018 and 2022.
A representative from Goldin told Polygon that the Cheeto was not intentionally modified to resemble Charizard but was found in its natural shape.
The Cheeto went viral in 2024 after it was rediscovered by the store’s workers while going through a safe. The company then upgraded its enclosure to preserve the Cheeto and added a custom nameplate inspired by Pokémon cards. Eventually, it was auctioned off at the Goldin auction house.
Despite the hefty price tag, the Pokémon-shaped Cheeto does not hold the title for the highest-selling Cheeto. In 2017, a Flamin' Hot Cheeto in the shape of the late gorilla Harambe sold for $99,900, although the legitimacy of the sale is unclear, as the seller claimed the winning bidder backed out.
While there may not be many collectors specifically searching for Cheetos with unique shapes, the market clearly exists. Frito-Lay previously ran a Cheetos Museum to showcase uniquely shaped snacks and awarded $150,000 in prize money for the top 10 Cheeto shapes submitted by the public. Now, collectors are turning to auction houses and online platforms like eBay to find the next snack sensation.
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