Re: Anyone seen this photo before?

by Ribisl 24.09.12 18:35

Playing the devil's advocate here. There are actually plenty of pictures of Madeleine already in the public domain which show her at various stages of growing up and why should we expect her parents to make any more private family photos available? The only pictures that would have been relevant at the time of 'abduction' were the ones taken most recently, so her baby photos, for example, would have served only to solicit public sympathy, nothing else.

by **PeterMac** 24.09.12 18:43

aquila wrote:Has anyone ever seen a picture of KM pregnant?

Do you mean carrying a test tube ? big grin

by Guest 24.09.12 18:49

I do see your point Ribis1 but the McCanns have done nothing other than trying to drum up support and sympathy from Day One so I would have thought that cute baby photos would have been on the agenda. As for the most recent photos, it's strange that most of those issued immediately were about a year old!

I also wonder why they have missed the opportunity to show Madeleine's bedroom - what a good marketing ploy that would have been, left untouched since the day she went on holiday.

by Nina 24.09.12 19:04

Jean wrote:I do see your point Ribis1 but the McCanns have done nothing other than trying to drum up support and sympathy from Day One so I would have thought that cute baby photos would have been on the agenda. As for the most recent photos, it's strange that most of those issued immediately were about a year old!

I also wonder why they have missed the opportunity to show Madeleine's bedroom - what a good marketing ploy that would have been, left untouched since the day she went on holiday.

Yes even Karen Mathews mother of Sharron showed Sharron's bedroom with new bedding.

by **tigger** 24.09.12 19:44

It struck me that they've described Madeleine from photographs, not so much from memory.
Here's Blacksmith on the book - I'd overlooked it - didn't realise the aircraft video is the other aide memoire.
Then what about the Madeleine passages? Can we be fairly sure that they don't spring from the narrative either? They certainly don't seem to. Significantly our first real view of Madeleine on holiday — on the aircraft steps — is given not from direct memory but from the video made by the group.

In the Swedish interview we have Gerry saying his last memory is of the pool photograph. Not Maddie but a picture of Maddie.

by Nina 24.09.12 19:58

tigger wrote:It struck me that they've described Madeleine from photographs, not so much from memory.
Here's Blacksmith on the book - I'd overlooked it - didn't realise the aircraft video is the other aide memoire.
Then what about the Madeleine passages? Can we be fairly sure that they don't spring from the narrative either? They certainly don't seem to. Significantly our first real view of Madeleine on holiday — on the aircraft steps — is given not from direct memory but from the video made by the group.

In the Swedish interview we have Gerry saying his last memory is of the pool photograph. Not Maddie but a picture of Maddie.

And sod all in between.

by Ribisl 24.09.12 20:32

tigger wrote:

In the Swedish interview we have Gerry saying his last memory is of the pool photograph. Not Maddie but a picture of Maddie.

That could be because they made it the 'official last picture' and therefore Gerry felt compelled to say that to underscore its authenticity. It's equally possible if his last memory of his daughter was that of dying or dead Madeleine, then he would consciously choose a happier image to remember her by.

by pennylane 24.09.12 20:54

Ribisl wrote:Playing the devil's advocate here. There are actually plenty of pictures of Madeleine already in the public domain which show her at various stages of growing up and why should we expect her parents to make any more private family photos available? The only pictures that would have been relevant at the time of 'abduction' were the ones taken most recently, so her baby photos, for example, would have served only to solicit public sympathy, nothing else.

You could be right Ribisl. However, in the couple of much younger pictures released of Maddie, she looked wan and frail looking, and it's possible other pictures have been held back for fear of increasing suspicion regarding the state of Maddie's health?

by **tigger** 25.09.12 6:11

@ribisl

But it would have been perfectly 'normal' to publish family photographs of each Christmas or at the very least one Christmas. The time of year when the McCanns usually send a message to the nation to ask for more money. Such a photograph would certainly tug at the heartstrings.

But no family photograph under the Christmas tree with the twins and Maddie is a glaring omission. There should have been four - but there are none. Just a few haphazard shots and videos which prove nothing and none of them can be called festive even with the presents being unwrapped. It absolutely doesn't give the impression of a happy family - it seems rather gloomy.

by sami 25.09.12 7:19

ribisil - in normal circumstances i would totally agree with the content of your post. however, on this occasion we are talking about a woman who wrote a book in the name of her daughter and had no difficuclty telling us about her love life with her husband in said book.

so whilst i understand and appreciate there are special memories and moments a family would like to keep private, because of the book i would expect just a couple more photos to be published in it. the newborn baby is a very obvious picture. everybody has one or fifty of those, particularly of the first child in the family.

the photos that have appeared in the book - healy and mccann on the beach (i assume in new zeland) springs to mind as an example, have really no relevance to the subject matter, yet these are published. also, they are happy to release images of the twins who really would warrant much more privacy than Madeleine would at this point in time.

then they release that awaful awful blue eye shadow photo - that upset many many people. so there is no shortage of photos on the one hand, but on the other I can see how people think there is a huge gap and the images released are very selective and all of the same type, if that makes sense.

by Spaniel 25.09.12 7:37

tigger wrote:It struck me that they've described Madeleine from photographs, not so much from memory.
Here's Blacksmith on the book - I'd overlooked it - didn't realise the aircraft video is the other aide memoire.
Then what about the Madeleine passages? Can we be fairly sure that they don't spring from the narrative either? They certainly don't seem to. Significantly our first real view of Madeleine on holiday — on the aircraft steps — is given not from direct memory but from the video made by the group.

In the Swedish interview we have Gerry saying his last memory is of the pool photograph. Not Maddie but a picture of Maddie.

We've often wondered why that video was released. Could the reason be to pre-empt CCTV footage of them in the airport? "Leavng as a family of five" sort of headline. Maybe there wasn't any!

by Hummingbird 25.09.12 9:41

tigger wrote:
Jean wrote:Not so Portia. Not as a newborn yes but there are some of her as a baby.

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The one with Maddie as a baby and K and G has definitely got G photoshopped in. That is the earliest one I can think of and Kate is wearing a jacket that a reader on MM said wasn't available in 2003 - I wouldn't know about it.
But - just my idea and nothing to do with reality - what if Maddie was a terrible disappointment right from the birth? i.e. not perfect for perfect parents, so the natural consequence would be that there would not be a lot of photographs of that period anyway.

Forgive me if this has been done before but I thought that it was the belief that cuddlecat was a 'prop' - a new and unused toy/comforter?

Please look at picture 16 in the link from jean and you will clearly see MM cuddling up with KM AND cuddlecat.

by Guest 25.09.12 9:55

I'm not 100% sure that is a cuddlecat, it could be some other pink cuddly toy. There are certainly no photos of Madeleine with what is undoubtedly a cuddlecat.

by **tigger** 25.09.12 9:55

Hummingbird wrote:
tigger wrote:
Jean wrote:Not so Portia. Not as a newborn yes but there are some of her as a baby.

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The one with Maddie as a baby and K and G has definitely got G photoshopped in. That is the earliest one I can think of and Kate is wearing a jacket that a reader on MM said wasn't available in 2003 - I wouldn't know about it.
But - just my idea and nothing to do with reality - what if Maddie was a terrible disappointment right from the birth? i.e. not perfect for perfect parents, so the natural consequence would be that there would not be a lot of photographs of that period anyway.

Forgive me if this has been done before but I thought that it was the belief that cuddlecat was a 'prop' - a new and unused toy/comforter?

Please look at picture 16 in the link from jean and you will clearly see MM cuddling up with KM AND cuddlecat.

That's not at all clear imo - it is a pink sort of towelling object, but in no way could I identify that as cuddlecat.
Besides, it's not so important. I expect she could have bought a new one at a later date. Maddie is seen in one picture with a lion cuddly toy. Never seen Maddie 100% definite with cuddlecat.
Kate stating that Maddie was never without cuddlecat and not a single photograph to prove this 100%. Kate actually looks very nice on those photographs as she does with the early after birth photos, nothing like a mother who's just given birth, but really good and healthy, miles different from how she is now. How sad.

by jd 25.09.12 10:16

Ive never seen any picture of Maddie with Cuddlecat anywhere...... Maybe there is a twisted irony that kate mccann used a prop which was reeking in cadaver called cuddleCAT!

by Ribisl 25.09.12 22:39

Jean wrote:I'm not 100% sure that is a cuddlecat, it could be some other pink cuddly toy. There are certainly no photos of Madeleine with what is undoubtedly a cuddlecat.

Maybe I see a furry ear if I squint enough but it could easily be a pink towel.
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She was photographed more than once with a brown monkey(?) though, which seems to have been her favourite toy.
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Then we get these
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lol4

by Guest 25.09.12 22:44

Cuddlecat was nowhere to be seen prior to 3rd May but it certainly was everywhere thereafter!

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I still haven't really grasped what was the idea behind it.

It makes me cringe to see the twins being paraded round with one.

by Snifferdog 25.09.12 23:01

Perhaps it was actually Amelie's cuddle toy.

by Ribisl 25.09.12 23:06

Jean wrote:Cuddlecat was nowhere to be seen prior to 3rd May but it certainly was everywhere thereafter!

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I still haven't really grasped what was the idea behind it.

I can believe it was given to her when she was born but then it became an effective marketing prop, pure and simple. It's the mentality of the parents who instigated such a campaign that I have real difficulty grasping.

by Guest 25.09.12 23:37

I have a girl, she has 5 cuddle toys that she can not sleep without. Among this is a cuddle cow, much like cuddle cat .. And that is her absolute favorite and she can not sleep without it at all, but she can with the others as long as she has cuddlecow , after a little struggle , she ofcourse prefer to have them all :)

Anyway, on day time cuddle cow is not the one she walks around with. Then she has the other four in a bundle, a princess purple small pillow and a hello kitty teddy. Cuddle cow is holy and remains safely in her bed or a safe hidding place, at sleep overs and holidays cuddle cow is her first choice to bring, because she can not bring all her cuddle toys ..we need space too lol :)

I have no picture of her with cuddle cow, but I have with the other cuddle toys..

I,m not suggesting anything, just saying that not everything is weird, children can have weird habits and addictions to cuddle toys :)

by jd 26.09.12 1:39

Jean wrote:Cuddlecat was nowhere to be seen prior to 3rd May but it certainly was everywhere thereafter!

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I still haven't really grasped what was the idea behind it.

It makes me cringe to see the twins being paraded round with one.

This is the truth of it, has anyone seen any of their kids with a cuddle cat before 3rd May? In all those photos spanning over 4 years there is not one single one of any child with a cuddle cat. Not from children we know about that is

What they did though is produce one on May 4th, then a week later registered the domain name for it!! Together with the ~~public~~ limited fund and applied to have Maddie be under the guardianship of Lord Hogg as a Ward of Court. If Maddie did ever reappear then the mccanns have no say, she is under the guardianship of the UK courts, they gave her up as quickly as she disappeared.

by jd 26.09.12 1:49

This might be a cuddle cat in this photo but this is kate mccann many years before PDL and with a boy! Never in a million years is this child Maddie or Sean...its someone else. Would make sense if this child is why a cuddle cat is so precious to kate mccann
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by Ribisl 26.09.12 7:00

jd wrote:This might be a cuddle cat in this photo but this is kate mccann many years before PDL and with a boy! Never in a million years is this child Maddie or Sean...its someone else. Would make sense if this child is why a cuddle cat is so precious to kate mccann
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I don't know why you say that jd. To me this is clearly a photo of Kate and baby Madeleine with a pink cuddlecat (most likely)/towel/blanket. Because of the MCs' campaign to misinform and confuse, aren't we sometimes seeing things that are perhaps not there?

by Ribisl 26.09.12 7:08

Moa wrote:I have a girl, she has 5 cuddle toys that she can not sleep without. Among this is a cuddle cow, much like cuddle cat .. And that is her absolute favorite and she can not sleep without it at all, but she can with the others as long as she has cuddlecow , after a little struggle , she ofcourse prefer to have them all :)

Anyway, on day time cuddle cow is not the one she walks around with. Then she has the other four in a bundle, a princess purple small pillow and a hello kitty teddy. Cuddle cow is holy and remains safely in her bed or a safe hidding place, at sleep overs and holidays cuddle cow is her first choice to bring, because she can not bring all her cuddle toys ..we need space too lol :)

I have no picture of her with cuddle cow, but I have with the other cuddle toys..

I,m not suggesting anything, just saying that not everything is weird, children can have weird habits and addictions to cuddle toys :)

Very good point Moa. I personally believe that the cat was indeed Madeleine's favourite sleeping companion. It is the MCs' use (abuse) of it as a campaign prop that I find highly objectionable. Kate clutching it at every photo opportunity is one thing but how can they make Sean and Amelie to do the same in public, especially when it's known to be covered in cadarverine?

by uppatoffee 26.09.12 7:11

I agree. When my daughter was a similar age we had lots of photos of her looking like a boy due to her short hair.

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