A Single Cheeto Sold for $87,840 Because It Looked Like a Pokémon

You might tear open a packet of Cheetos for a quick bite, usually consuming them rapidly without giving much thought to their appearance or form.

Then, there’s an instinctive desire to examine it, and upon closer inspection, it appears remarkably similar to the iconic Pokémon character, Charizard!

It turns out that a unique Cheeto became available for auction, and it’s none other than the famous Cheetozard, which TikTok enthusiasts have nicknamed so. Goldin Auctions was fortunate enough to list this extraordinary item.

The auction company put the Cheeto up for sale with the following description:

A Flamin’ Hot Cheeto, shaped like Charizard from Pokémon, measuring approximately 3 inches long, is attached to a customized Pokémon card and housed within a clear storage box. This unique item was found and conserved between the years 2018-2022 by 1st & Goal Collectibles. In late 2024, it gained significant attention on various social media platforms.

How many genuine bidders took part in the bidding process for this item, as reported by AP News? The number of participants surpassed 60, causing the price to exceed $87,000, with the final sale amount being $87,840 precisely.

Funny enough, I’m just like Charizard – we both have an extraordinary, non-ordinary nature. While I may not breathe fire or fly, I’m certainly unique in my own way. Similarly, this Cheeto isn’t your average cheesy snack; it’s the spicy Flamin’ Hot variety.

So, what will the winner do with this Cheetozard?

At that cost, it may be more practical to keep it rather than consume it, as small creatures such as ants, mice, or rats might find the plastic packaging enticing enough to chew through and reach the valuable Charizard Cheeto inside.

Beloved ’90s Foods You Can Still Eat

Arizona Iced Tea

The ’90s witnessed a significant growth in the bottled tea industry, with brands like Snapple (a popular choice from that era, still available today) and Arizona (often seen as “AriZona” due to its unique brand name capitalization) leading the way. Arizona, known for its vibrant labels and astonishingly low prices, has remained a staple for over 30 years. Their Arnold Palmer blend of half-tea, half-lemonade continues to be the best drink you’ll find in a gas station refrigerator.

Bagel Bites

Pizza at breakfast, pizza at dinnertime, and pizza for dinner too – that’s the catchy tune for Ore-Ida’s Bagel Bites. Although I’d advise against consuming pizza so frequently due to its high cholesterol content, these frozen pizza snacks were a popular choice after school or on lazy Sundays. Frankly, I question their definition of a ‘family size’ box, as I might easily finish off all 24 pieces in one go!

Brisk Iced Tea

As a 90’s cinema enthusiast, let me tell you, I can’t forget about the ubiquitous iced tea back then! Even independent brands were making a splash in the market, but the big players like Pepsi couldn’t stay behind. Their response to the Snapples of the world? Brisk! Today, they continue to produce a wide range of flavored teas, lemonades, and other refreshing drinks. For a blast from the past, revisit the iconic 90’s Brisk commercial starring a latex puppet of Rocky Balboa and the genuine voice of Sylvester Stallone, who exclaims, “Nothing is over, just give me something to drink!

Cosmic Brownies

The iconic snack cakes from Little Debbie first appeared in the autumn of 1999, inspired by the fad of Cosmic Bowling. Given their origin, it’s safe to say they might just be the epitome of ’90s cuisine. However, I’m not certain how many bowling alleys continue to offer cosmic bowling today – or even did when they were first introduced. Despite this, these brownies studded with vibrant candy chips are still a popular choice.

Creme Savers

The Life Savers candy we know today has been around longer than any of us reading this. Since ScreenCrush doesn’t seem to have a lot of 113-year-old readers, it’s safe to say the original Life Saver was introduced in 1912. However, during the ’90s, various new flavors of the classic hard candy were introduced. Creme Savers with their strawberries and cream flavor hit stores in 1998. If you’re a fan of gummy candies, you probably looked forward to the introduction of Gummi Savers in the early ’90s. Everyone has their favorite Life Saver!

DiGiorno Frozen Pizza

Since 1991, it hasn’t been about simple delivery; instead, it’s all about DiGiorno, the well-known frozen pizza brand. This brand, as Wikipedia (always reliable) states, manufactures approximately 250,000 pizzas for sale in the U.S. every single day. That’s a staggering amount of frozen pizza! Their current offerings range from rising crust, gluten-free crust, Detroit-style crust, and surprisingly, croissant crust. Incredible!

Dunkaroos

In case you lived during the 1990s, it’s likely you tasted at least one box of Dunkaroos, a sweet variation of Handi-Snacks, which were Ritz cheese and crackers packaged with a peculiar yellow dip that came with a red plastic stick for spreading. Each original Dunkaroos package included a batch of cookies along with a container of frosting for dipping. Unfortunately, Dunkaroos were taken off the market in the early 2010s; however, rumors started in the summer of 2020 that they might return, and fortunately, this wasn’t just a trick – they have been available on store shelves for several years now.

Fruit By the Foot

In the 1980s, fruit snacks transformed into what we now recognize as Fruit Snacks, a common element in children’s lunchboxes. The 1990s brought about a surge of peculiar fruit snack shapes and sizes, many of which have since vanished from the market. However, one that has persisted is Fruit By the Foot, which debuted in grocery stores in 1991. It seems as though someone had the idea to create a roll of fruit snack after the success of Fruit Roll-Ups. When unrolled, a Fruit By the Foot measures approximately three feet long, so it’s essential to avoid dragging the bottom on the ground. For an enhanced experience, unwrap one, then rewind it and suck on it like a wad of chewing tobacco (though I wouldn’t recommend that). It’s simply fantastic. (Please don’t judge me. Also, has anyone any idea why my teeth appear red and keep falling out in large quantities?)

Go-Gurt

A tale speaks of a creative food scientist who noticed small shampoo samples in slim plastic tubes inside magazines and came up with an audacious plan: Develop a yogurt that could be sucked out of similar packaging. This idea, like a seed, blossomed into the powerful Go-Gurt empire, offering numerous flavors and types, associated with popular children’s brands such as Minecraft and SpongeBob SquarePants. Regardless of your preference for tubed yogurt, you must acknowledge: The name yogurt/go-gurt is indeed quite clever.

Gushers

One of the enduring impacts on American culinary landscape from the ’90s fruit snack trend is the introduction of Gushers, which are jewel-shaped treats filled with a liquid center that bursts out upon biting. The idea alone leaves me slightly queasy, but let me confess: As a child of the ’90s, I consumed so many Gushers that I believe my blood is still somewhat akin to strawberry Gushers pulp.

Ice Breakers

Initially a product under Nabisco, the Ice Breakers brand of intensely minty candies and gums is now part of the Hershey Company. Among their offerings is a cube-shaped gum named, appropriately enough, Ice Cubes. In the early 2000s, there was a bit of controversy when they released “Ice Breakers Pacs,” small pouches filled with minty powder that dissolved in your mouth. Although it seemed harmless, some city authorities claimed these small packages resembled street drugs. Oops! Eventually, Hershey’s discontinued the Pacs, but the original Ice Breakers are still available today.

Kid Cuisine

Designed to appeal to children tagging along during grocery shopping trips, Kid Cuisine consists of frozen meals that include kid favorites such as chicken nuggets, cheeseburgers, and personal pizzas, accompanied by sides and a sweet treat. Basically, these were the meals your mom would purchase if you agreed to be quiet and refrain from pestering her for unhealthy snacks while navigating through the store. Although it might be an exaggeration to call these offerings “cuisine,” they continue to sell successfully today.

Lunchables

Lunchables, first introduced in 1989, truly epitomize ’90s convenience food. Imagine a compact plastic box containing ham, cheese, crackers, and cookies, all conveniently packed together for quick meal preparation. Over the years, there have been many variations of Lunchables, some offering more elaborate foods, some including drinks, and even some with chocolate candies as desserts. Today, you can still find an assortment of Lunchables in your local supermarket’s deli section. However, it’s best to avoid checking the sodium content on the nutrition label if you plan to indulge.

M&M’s Minis

In my day, M&M’s only came in two flavors: plain and peanut. No blue M&M’s existed until 1995! Can you imagine the excitement when they introduced a blue M&M? It was quite an upgrade from the original tan ones! The most significant addition during that time might have been the mini M&M’s, not just because they were tiny, but also because they came in a hard plastic tube instead of a traditional bag. This wasn’t fantastic for the environment (as many items from that period weren’t), but it did an excellent job of keeping those little candies fresh.

Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pizza

Hey there fellow movie-goers, let’s be honest after three decades, we all know that stuffed crust isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. On paper, the idea of jazzing up the bland, overcooked edges of a pizza with cheese is brilliant – that’s why Pizza Hut made it a staple back in the ’90s. But in reality, no matter how mouthwatering and appetizing that cheesy crust seemed in the ads, it always felt like rubber in texture and lacked flavor when we got our hands on it.

Still, the dream of a scrumptious stuffed-crust pizza lives on, not just at Pizza Huts globally, but in various pizzerias and frozen pizzas too. Here’s hoping that one day, someone will crack the code to make stuffed crust taste as divine as it promises! Fingers crossed, right? Right!!!

Rice Krispies Treats

For decades, families have been crafting Rice Krispies Treats at home, with children enjoying the delightful mix of melted marshmallow and their favorite cereal. However, it wasn’t until 1995 that Kellogg’s introduced a packaged version of these treats, which gained such popularity that they even launched a Rice Krispies Treats cereal – a fascinating loop of breakfast foods. Have you ever pondered whether it’s possible to make Rice Krispies Treats using the Rice Krispies Treats cereal? The idea is so intriguing, it leaves one wonderingly amazed.

Toaster Strudel

In the 1980s, a competitor to the legendary Pop-Tart was introduced, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that it became widely popular. Unlike Pop-Tarts, which could seemingly be stored indefinitely on store shelves, Toaster Strudels were frozen and heated before use, with consumers adding their own icing from a provided goo pouch. The flavors range from classic strawberry to innovative combinations like cream cheese and strawberry, apple, blueberry, cherry, raspberry, and cinnamon roll.

First launched in the 1980s, Toaster Strudels didn’t reach its peak popularity until the 1990s. Unlike Pop-Tarts, which could be kept on store shelves for an apparently long time, Toaster Strudels were frozen and then heated by consumers themselves before applying their own icing from a provided goo pouch. The flavors include traditional strawberry, as well as unique blends such as cream cheese and strawberry, apple, blueberry, cherry, raspberry, and cinnamon roll.

Totino’s Pizza Rolls

Did you realize that the well-known brand “Totino’s” was started by a man named Jim Totino? He owned a pizzeria in Minnesota and introduced his own line of frozen pizzas back in the 1960s. Although the Totino family sold the business in the mid-’70s, the name still stands today. Interestingly, Mr. Totino didn’t invent the pizza roll; a different company did. The pioneers behind the pizza roll were Jeno’s and its founder, Jeno Paulucci. They were the first to create a miniature pizza with an egg roll-like structure. Eventually, both brands were acquired by Pillsbury, who then merged the two concepts to produce Totino’s Pizza Rolls. The story since then has been one of cheese and a slight greasiness.

Warheads

In the ’90s, Warheads gained immense popularity due to their infamous status as the most mouth-puckering candy ever made. Kids would challenge each other to eat them, thereby enhancing both their reputation and sales. I haven’t tasted one in years, but I still carry the marks left by my peers teasing me in the cafeteria for not wanting to eat one, fearing that it might make my head explode, just like the cartoon character on the packaging suggested. (Yes, I was a bit of a wimp back then!)

Zebra Cakes

The “Little Debbie” brand came into existence in 1960, and it has been manufacturing vanilla snack cakes ever since. However, these cakes were not called “Zebra Cakes,” due to their distinctive chocolate stripes, until 1991. In the ’90s, both the character on the Zebra Cakes packaging and the mascot of Fruit Stripe Gum brought zebras into the limelight. It seems that during this era, they had a fondness for dairy products and foods associated with zebras.

2025-03-11 21:54