A Cheeto puff within the form of an extraordinary Pokémon grew to become legendary after fetching a whopping $87,840 at a digital public sale final Sunday, March 2. Aptly dubbed “Cheetozard,” the particular cheese puff resembles the staple Pokémon referred to as Charizard — a winged, fire-breathing dragon with a flame-tipped tail and an identical mood.
The sale was orchestrated by way of Goldin, a collectibles market that makes a speciality of sports activities buying and selling playing cards and popular culture memorabilia. Bids for Cheetozard started on February 10, beginning with a humble $250 and shortly eclipsing four- after which five-figure affords earlier than hammering at $72,000, with the client’s premium climbing the ultimate worth to just about $90,000.
A spokesperson confirmed that this was the best sale worth for a meals object in Goldin’s public sale historical past.
“Goldin specializes in rare and one-of-a-kind collectibles, and the Cheetozard is exactly this,” mentioned Dave Amerman, head of consignment at Goldin, in a press release to Hyperallergic.
“Part of what makes this item so fun and unique is that it bridges two fandoms — Pokémon, and Cheetos,” Amerman continued. “We had people from all over the world visit our marketplace to watch this auction, demonstrating the global interest and collector desire for this item.”
A number of the search outcomes for “rare collectible Cheetos” (screenshot Hyperallergic through eBay)
Oddly acquainted Cheeto shapes have lengthy captivated humanity for the reason that snack hit the cabinets. At one level, Cheetos’s mum or dad firm Frito-Lay provided particular prizes for shoppers who found uncommon and recognizable shapes of their snack baggage as a advertising and marketing tactic.
There’s even a distinct segment marketplace for them carved out on eBay, although most choices are of the phallic, firearm, and biblical varieties. All of that’s to say that magnificence actually is within the eye of the beholder.
What can we are saying, aside from “it’s not easy being cheesy.”