JOBURT
The man behind MBUK’s ovine icon Mint Sauce, the one and only mountain biking sheep
Jo Burt is a name you may or may not recognise, but if you’re reading this, then chances are you’ll be familiar with his most famous creation – Mint Sauce, the cartoon sheep with a love of mountain bikes. As we’re celebrating 30 years of MBUK, it seemed only fitting to meet the man who’s brought us these beloved illustrations for three decades.
Living near the South Downs, Jo, in his own words, can usually be found “sat within a dim cone of light in a dark, dust and rubberswarf-thick corner of the spare room”, only occasionally “sneaking out on my bike on a sunny afternoon to remind myself why I do this”. Combine all the time he’s spent drawing strips, and it probably adds up to the best part of seven years. It all started as a hobby. Jo tells us: “I spent my youth drawing just because it was fun. My parents encouraged it”. He became more serious with his artwork when he attended university, where he did a foundation course and then a three-year degree in graphic design and illustration, specialising in illustration.
Being freelance allows Jo to find some time for his other passion – cycling. Again, this started at a young age. “I’ve never stopped riding a bike,” he says. “I learnt when I was about five, in the car park of my grandparents’ pub.” Nowadays, you’d have to label Jo as a cyclist, rather than a mountain biker. “Mountain biking has been a massive part of my life, but I’ve always had a road bike,” he says. “I ride a cyclocross bike more than is healthy as well – a proper one with thin tyres and shit brakes!” Even though the South Downs are a home from home for Jo’s riding, he’s taken his cycling much further afield. “I’ve ridden these bikes all over the world,” he tells us. “I’ve crossed countries, mountain ranges and continents.”
Jo’s been fortunate enough to mix his two interests into a creation that’s kept us entertained all these years. So, how did a mountain biking sheep find its way into a magazine? “I was doing cartoons for the Mountain Bike Club, a nationwide organisation that sent out a photocopied newsletter,” Jo explains. “Then I asked co-organiser Max Glaskin if he knew any magazines that might like a cartoon about a sheep on a bike – and he did! Mint Sauce appeared in Bicycle Action in March 1988. It made the jump to MBUK about 18 months later.”
Three decades on, where does Jo find his inspiration? “Ideas come from all over the place,” he explains. “There’s no real rhyme or reason – and I like it like that. The surprise can still excite me.” While there are philosophical undertones to Mint Sauce, Jo’s quick to point out that he’s never been overtly political. “It’s skimming-the-surface pub philosophy – just flippant observations found on the trail. And it’s a cartoon sheep!” Fortunately, Jo has no plans to cull Mint Sauce just yet – while the ideas keep coming, he’ll keep drawing!