Intervilles began on French television in 1962 and became a summer institution, pitting teams from different towns against each other in an outdoor arena. The vachette, a lively young cow released between games, became its most famous feature, unpredictably chasing contestants while crowds cheered. The shouted cue Top à la vachette announced that release and entered everyday French slang for launching something chaotic. Clips of the moment still circulate online, where the phrase is reused far from the original arena for races, pranks and frantic entrances.