The bell tolls, chants echo through the arena, and the crowd goes wild. Today, although few know him beyond his persona, Abraham Kindo, better known as Alistar or simply "the cow," is undeniably one of the icons of French and European esports. Having made memorable appearances in the LFL, the LEC, and prestigious tournaments such as the Mid-Season Invitational and Worlds, Abraham and his costume have become a cultural cornerstone of the League of Legends esports community. During Paris Games Week 2024, Sheep Esports had the opportunity to meet the man behind the costume, ask him a few questions, and learn more about his motivations and who he truly is.

You're a key figure in French esports, with a long history. How long have you been following League of Legends?

Abraham “Moo Cow Alistar” Kindo: “I've been following League of Legends for quite a long time—almost 10 years. I started playing League of Legends in 2013. In 2014, a friend told me about O'Gaming, which he was already following for StarCraft II. That feels like such a long time ago. At the end of 2015, I finished my studies and moved back to Paris. In 2017, the LCS Europe Finals were announced in Paris-Bercy, with Rekkles (Martin Larsson) being crowned champion. Three months before the event, I already knew I was going to attend. Then Noi (Charles Lapassat), who was a commentator for O'Gaming at the time, saw T1's support picking Moo Cow Alistar even though he had his own Worlds skin, and he said, "Honestly, it would be great if there were cosplayers dressed as the Alistar cow." That's when I told myself, "Well, let's do it." I got a cow onesie, a bell, and I came in 2017. And that was the beginning.

You've been doing this for 7 years now. How do you keep going after all this time? Have you never felt like doing something different?

Abraham: You could say that, but the truth is, I used to do animation, and I love it. I love seeing people smile, getting them to applaud, and making them love League of Legends. This is my favorite part as a mascot—the kind of people who come in saying things like "Damn, what is all this?", often girlfriends or children. It's only afterward, when they hear the bell, see the crowd going wild, and notice that one guy in a cow costume that they realize: "Wow, this is actually cool." You see them applauding, getting into the mood, and following along. It's a really good experience, and it’s completely different from what you feel in front of your computer, where you're excited but a bit on your own. There, you can feel the intensity of the crown and join in with others. And for me, this atmosphere is what gives me that energy, it's what makes it so I never want to stop doing this.

You talk about wanting to share your passion with fans and keep esports alive, but you do all of that behind the scenes. Didn’t you ever want to make yourself more known over time? Or is it really all just for fun for you?

Abraham: Actually, I just do it for fun—I’m not good with social medias. I have Instagram, but I don’t really promote it. What I try to do at all my events is this little secondary quest: to put cosplayers in the spotlight, then post them with their handles on Instagram. Even though my community is small, it gives them a chance to be seen. But otherwise, no, I’m not looking to build a presence online or anything. It’s not my main thing. I’d rather be there, giving my all at the event and enjoying it with people, rather than thinking about promoting myself.

You studied to become an engineer. But with everything you do for esports, your job, and your life in between, what does esports mean to you? It must take a lot of effort to attend all these tournaments!

Abraham: Firstly, it represents a financial investment, I’m not going to lie. Unfortunately, traveling and all that isn’t free. But for me, it’s a real passion. It allows me to unwind a bit—well, "unwind" is a strong word—but it always gives me energy. I get to meet new people and experience new things, our community really feels like a big family. I see the same people again at every event, and that’s amazing. Every time, I try to take lots of photos, gather little memories, and honestly, that’s priceless.

What has been the most memorable moment for you in 2024 so far?

Abraham: At Worlds, it was definitely Game 1 between FlyQuest and Gen.G. Already when we arrived, there was an incredible atmosphere. It got even bigger after the interview with Bwipo (Gabriël Rau) and Inspired (Kacper Słoma), where they said they were Europe's last hope. Then, just as FlyQuest won the game and started playing their game, everyone started screaming. They were chanting their names, and everyone followed. We could feel it was going to be an insane game, and indeed it was. For me, it will stay in my memory for a long time.

How do you manage to keep up this passion, given the investment it represents, especially traveling to all these events?

Abraham: It works with my job; I earn quite a bit, so I'm not broke. This allows me to keep my passion alive. I try, if possible, to get tickets through Riot. They've been very generous; I don't always get tickets, but I've been able to get some, either by invitation or by winning them from time to time. So that helps me keep going. Eventually, maybe I'll set up an association to continue this. Because there are certain benefits to having one, particularly when it comes to insurance. At the moment, I'm fine; I've got both my legs, and both my feet, and I'm more or less in good shape. But I travel all over the stadiums and do a lot of things. A slip or an accident can happen very quickly, especially if someone throws water. Being part of an association, having a partnership, or being recognized by Riot would allow me, in the event of an injury, to have specific insurance, which I don’t have at the moment.

How do you feel about Riot’s management of fan associations? Their approach has been heavily criticized, particularly with Karmine Corp's entry into the LEC this year. Have you had any contact with Riot, and what has it been like covering events with them?

Abraham: At the moment, I’ve had very little contact with Riot. I’ve had a few exchanges with OTP and some freelancers who work for Riot, but I’ve never really had any direct contact with Riot France, Europe, or their international branch. I’ve been following from afar, but I’m not involved in these organizational issues.

There's also the issue of seats, which can sometimes be complicated. For example, I wanted to go to Berlin, so I tried to use my contacts, but it didn’t work out. With only 210 seats, it’s hard to squeeze in. Apart from a few occasions when Riot gave me a spot, most of the time it was through a semi-automatic email or via Mastercard invitations. So, I’ve never really had a genuine contact that would allow me to set something up with them. It would be easier if that were the case, as it would avoid issues like the times when I get blocked by security. When you have an assigned seat, you can’t move, which complicates things.

A concrete example: at MSI 2023, I had my bell on the first day, but I couldn’t use it in the following days. I understand why—depending on the type of venue, security, or infrastructure, a bell could disrupt production. What I find difficult is not being informed beforehand. If I’m told right away that I can’t use it for a certain reason, I accept it and adapt. But the problem is not knowing and having to put everything back in the lockers, then wondering if I’ll even be able to get it back. This kind of situation can be tricky, especially when I’m flying to London. If I had been told from the start that I didn’t need the bell, I could’ve organized myself better.

Have you ever had a favorite team, or is it important for you not to align with one particular fanbase?

Abraham: I'm independent. Maybe one day I'll align with a team, but I don’t think so, although it could happen. What I enjoy is supporting both sides, no matter who you’re rooting for. It's that sense of community that I prefer. Even if you're more into one team, you can still understand and appreciate the other. That’s why I could never not applaud a team just because they’re against mine. During FlyQuest vs Gen.G, I cheered much more for FlyQuest than for Gen.G, and as soon as we could shout "Let's Go FlyQuest," we did, but we'd still cheer for Gen.G too. It would have been the same with G2; it didn’t matter who they were up against, we would cheer. But whether they won or lost, we always applauded both teams. That’s partly why I haven’t associated myself with a specific fanbase—because that might stop me from being who I want to be.

A lot of teams in both the LEC and the ERLs don’t really have a solid fanbase. Do you think that the presence of someone like you, a mascot or an emblematic figure, could help these teams unite supporters?

Abraham: It’s possible. There are very few mascots, but I think it takes time to build an image around a mascot. I’ve been doing this for seven years, so people have seen me. If a team like SK had a mascot, it might help them, but it’s not easy. It also depends on the team's performance. For example, Fnatic already has a large fanbase because of its results, but other teams can attract fans as soon as they start having some success and put initiatives in place to bring people together. People follow, especially if you manage to represent the country’s team or set up chants and have a mascot.

My bell makes it easier because people follow it easily. Having a mascot that encourages people to participate, to sing, or to make noise is important if you want to be heard. That’s what’s sometimes missing. For example, French teams have managed to set up fan associations, like AEGIS, with a logo and recognizable faces. It’s starting to catch on, even without a mascot.

In Europe, especially in France, the esports fanbase is already there, which makes support easier. Things are also starting to take off in Germany. But what’s missing is a national team supported by the country. That’s what’s happening with KC, Vitality, and BDS. A mascot, even if it doesn’t bring immediate results, will help bring people together. People don’t like to applaud on their own, but if one person starts and gets others to join in, it creates a dynamic. That’s how it happens—by starting the movement.

What do you think is missing in Europe to attract more people to the LEC? The viewership is pretty good, but especially when certain teams are present. What are the others missing?

Abraham: I'd say that one of the things some teams lack is sporting consistency. For example, Rogue, even with their results every year, often have little dramas around them. Today, you can be proud to be a KC fan, even if there are things about them that I personally don't approve of. But despite everything, there's a certain pride in being KC, just like Fnatic. On the other hand, being proud to be a fan of Rogue isn't necessarily easy, even if they sometimes manage to come up with some interesting stuff.o

It's also important to have a solid core of fans, and to do that, you need to set up initiatives that bring people together. For example, I remember GameWard in LFL, in Boulogne-Billancourt. They didn't have a huge fan base, but they decided to invite young people from local schools to discover League of Legends. It was a great way of forging links and perhaps creating future fans. After that, of course, if the team starts getting good results, that helps too, because it's easier to follow a winning team. But these first steps in bringing people together, even without immediate success, are crucial.

Solary too, whether they win or lose, they already have a base. They have a solid community thanks to personalities like Wakz (César Hugues) and LRB (Sakor Ros). But for some of the other teams, it was really different: sometimes there were just two people and that was it. I remember one LFL Days where it was a bit awkward, because on the one hand you'd hear screams from AEGIS fans, but on the other hand there wasn't a single fan for some teams. It was strange, I couldn't even get them to react or cheer. So, you just say to yourself: "OK, let's move on".

Finally, a simpler question: Do you actually play Alistar?

Abraham: I've always been asked that question. To be honest, I don’t play Alistar. The reason is quite simple: I always had big fingers—what we call “sausage fingers.” As a result, when I started in 2013, I couldn’t do the Alistar combo. So, naturally, I don’t play Alistar if I can’t do the combo. That’s why I started playing Leona instead.

Sheep Esports: Well, it’s true that Leona is a bit easier...

Abraham: Leona is much easier. So, originally, I was going to do a Leona cosplay, but it wouldn’t have been the same at all. I even had the blonde wig at the time, and I still have it at home. I had started, and that was that. But back then, I was an ADC. And in fact, my mate, who plays support, is a main Alistar. So we played a lot together…

Sheep Esports: In a way, Leona could have had a similar effect though, doing shield bashes and all, it'd have the same effect perhaps...

Abraham: I couldn’t have done it with Leona because the shield was cardboard, and it didn’t make any noise.

Sheep Esports: Also carrying a shield and a sword on a plane would be rough...

Abraham: That’s right. It’s a bit complicated. If it had been plastic, it would have been weird too [laughs]."