A Cheeto Shaped Like the Pokemon Charizard Sells for Nearly $90,000
Jordan Tkacsik was perusing his friend Paul Bartlett's sports memorabilia and trading card shop last year when he noticed something unusual in a section full of Pokémon collectibles.
It was a Cheetos cheese puff, but not just any Cheeto. Rather, it was a Flamin' Hot Cheeto that bore an uncanny resemblance to Charizard, an orange dragon-like creature that is one of the Pokémon universe's original and most beloved characters. The Cheeto itself was housed in a small plastic container — 'It sort of looked like a travel-size Q-Tip case,' Mr. Tkacsik said — and the three-inch cheesy treat even had a name: Cheetozard.
Mr. Tkacsik was not exactly a Pokémon aficionado, but he knew it was an unusual item. He could also sense that it was important to Mr. Bartlett, the owner of 1st and Goal Collectibles in Canton, Ga. So Mr. Tkacsik offered to design and build an improved case for Cheetozard.
'I sort of made it my mission to see if I could do it,' he said.
Still, Mr. Tkacsik had no way of knowing that Cheetozard was bound for global celebrity.
On Sunday, the dragon-shaped snack sold at auction for $72,000 (plus fees that pushed the price to nearly $90,000) amid a bidding frenzy.
Goldin Auctions, which sold the Cheeto, declined to disclose the buyer's and seller's identities, citing client confidentiality. But at a time when a banana taped to a wall can fetch $6.2 million, a Pokémon-themed Cheeto selling for a mere five figures might be considered a bargain.
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