Some Pokémon cards can go for a lot of money. But how much might an individual Cheeto sell for? It turns out if it reminds people of Pokémon, it can sell for a lot!
Case in point: the Cheetozard. This Flamin’ Hot Cheeto, which is all of three inches, looks an awful lot like Charizard, which is what led to its portmanteau.
1st and Goal Collectibles even forgot it had Cheetozard for a while, until it was found again while cleaning. The business shared a short video of it online, and the piece went viral. By the end of 2024, a ton of people around the world had seen the little figure and proved that there was interest in it.
Goldin Auctions got their hands on the little bit of food and put it up for auction at their February Pop Culture Elite Auction. The starting bid was $250.
So how much did it go for? Was anyone willing to pay $250 for a Cheeto that could easily be crunched out of existence?
It turns out, people wanted it, and the bids kept going up and up. Some people were definitely willing to pay more than $250. And it kept going. More than a thousand. More than ten thousand. More than twenty thousand. A total of sixty people threw in their lots. At the end, one triumphed with a bid of $72,000. Once Goldin’s buyer’s premium was added, the final payment became $87,840.
While most people who collect Pokémon cards are just fans having fun, there are a number of crime stories out there about people stealing the cards or even the yakuza using them to launder money. Hopefully this Cheeto won’t have the same thing happen to it, now that we know it can be worth quite a bit of money.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.