Latest news with #Pokémon-shaped
CNN
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Pokémon-shaped Cheeto sells for nearly $90,000
There's a new contender for the world's most expensive crunchy snack. A Pokémon-shaped Flamin' Hot Cheeto nicknamed 'Cheetozard' has sold for $87,840 to an unnamed buyer, the Goldin auction house said on social media. The 3 inch (7 cm) long Cheeto, shaped like the character Charizard from the Japanese anime franchise, is affixed to a customized Pokémon card and enclosed in a box. The dragon-shaped spicy snack was discovered and preserved by a sports memorabilia company sometime between 2018 and 2022, then surged in popularity on social media last year, according to Goldin's website. Cheetozard sold for a whopping $72,000 plus a buyer's premium, Goldin said. Bidding on the precious Cheeto began at $250 in mid-February and quickly climbed into the upper five figures. Cheetos, the snack brand owned by PepsiCo subsidiary Frito-Lay, responded to Goldin's Instagram post about the sale with a 'two eyes' emoji. CNN has reached out to Goldin and Frito-Lay for comment. Pokémon's Charizard is a large, orange dragon with turquoise wings and a flame at the tip of its tail. Known as Lizardon in Japan, the dragon is one of the franchise's original creatures – and one of its most beloved. In 2020, Charizard was voted one of the top 10 most popular Pokémon, according to the franchise. Social media users flooded the comment section of Goldin's Instagram posts about the sale. Many questioned why someone would spend so much money on a Cheeto, while others wondered how the snack came to be so dragon-esque. 'This is kinda stupid but it's 2025, people doing wild things,' one user said. Another joked that Cheetozard would be their death row meal. This is not the first time a curiously shaped Cheeto has sold for buckets of cash. In 2017, a Cheeto resembling Harambe the gorilla fetched nearly $100,000 on auction site eBay.
CNN
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Pokémon-shaped Cheeto sells for nearly $90,000
There's a new contender for the world's most expensive crunchy snack. A Pokémon-shaped Flamin' Hot Cheeto nicknamed 'Cheetozard' has sold for $87,840 to an unnamed buyer, the Goldin auction house said on social media. The 3 inch (7 cm) long Cheeto, shaped like the character Charizard from the Japanese anime franchise, is affixed to a customized Pokémon card and enclosed in a box. The dragon-shaped spicy snack was discovered and preserved by a sports memorabilia company sometime between 2018 and 2022, then surged in popularity on social media last year, according to Goldin's website. Cheetozard sold for a whopping $72,000 plus a buyer's premium, Goldin said. Bidding on the precious Cheeto began at $250 in mid-February and quickly climbed into the upper five figures. Cheetos, the snack brand owned by Pepsi subsidiary Frito-Lay, responded to Goldin's Instagram post about the sale with a 'two eyes' emoji. CNN has reached out to Goldin and Frito-Lay for comment. Pokémon's Charizard is a large, orange dragon with turquoise wings and a flame at the tip of its tail. Known as Lizardon in Japan, the dragon is one of the franchise's original creatures – and one of its most beloved. In 2020, Charizard was voted one of the top 10 most popular Pokémon, according to the franchise. Social media users flooded the comment section of Goldin's Instagram posts about the sale. Many questioned why someone would spend so much money on a Cheeto, while others wondered how the snack came to be so dragon-esque. 'This is kinda stupid but it's 2025, people doing wild things,' one user said. Another joked that Cheetozard would be their death row meal. This is not the first time a curiously shaped Cheeto has sold for buckets of cash. In 2017, a Cheeto resembling Harambe the gorilla fetched nearly $100,000 on auction site eBay.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Cheetozard,' Viral Pokémon-Shaped Cheeto, Sells for Nearly $88K at Auction
Pokémon, gotta catch 'em all — especially the ones you can eat! A Flamin' Hot Cheeto shaped like beloved Pokémon Charizard, affectionately referred to as 'Cheetozard,' has sold at auction after nearly a month for nearly $88,000, according to Goldin, the online marketplace that auctioned it off. The New Jersey-based marketplace put the unique collectible — which measures at 3 inches in length and comes with its own custom Pokémon card — up for auction in its 2025 February Pop Culture Elite Auction, where it earned an initial bid of $250 on Feb. 10. Exactly 60 bids later, the spicy, critter-shaped snack earned a winning bid of $72,000 on Sunday, March 2. And, with Goldin's buyer's premium, the total cost of the Pokémon-shaped Cheeto came to a whopping $87,840. Related: After Being Found Under a Bed, 77-Year-Old Slice of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's Wedding Cake Sells at Auction The company announced the sale on social media later the same day, and the reaction to the snack — and its selling point — were mixed. In the comments of Goldin's announcement, a joint Instagram post with eBay, people questioned who would spend such a high sum on the Cheeto, while others expressed their fondness for it. 'If I was on death row. I'd want this to be my final meal,' one person wrote. 'What is wrong with people 😂😂,' a different user questioned. Another, meanwhile, joked that the person who bought Cheetozard must be the 'same guy who bought the banana with tape,' referring to the viral artwork of a yellow banana duct-taped to a wall that sold for $6.24 million last year. The official Cheetos account also acknowledged the sale, commenting just one emoji: '👀.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Cheetozard was initially discovered and preserved sometime between 2018 and 2022 by 1st & Goal Collectibles — a collectibles store in Holly Springs, Ga. — and 'surged in popularity' online last year, Goldin said. The collectible's viral moment is evidenced by an April 2024 Instagram post 1st & Goal Collectibles shared, which garnered over half a million likes. 'Cheetozard continues!' the store wrote alongside a video of the snack. Related: Harry Potter Prop Sells for Record-Breaking Sum; Money Will Go Toward the Care of Daniel Radcliffe's Injured Stunt Double 'We've had the Cheetozard for about 5 years now,' the store continued in part, 'and we totally forgot we had it until cleaning out the safe!' For anyone disappointed that the Pokémon-shaped snack is now off the market, do not despair — Cheetozard was not alone. From Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Loch Ness Monster, eBay is absolutely brimming with cheesy snacks shaped like all sorts of characters. Read the original article on People
