Re: Anyone seen this photo before?

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.

by sami 26.09.12 7:26

When a child has a favourite cuddly toy, and I mean in the companion sense not just one that they like to play with regularly, it is a very special thing and it becomes an extension of themselves. Whilst it would be understandable that Kate would be very attached to cuddlecat in Madeleine's absence, to let the other children play with it, is as odd as washing it was. Two things that are not done. Even siblings recognise the importance of the toy in the childs life and they would generally treat the toy with respect and instantly know it is untouchable to them. There will be fights over every single toy in the house, but never over the cuddly toy.

The cuddle toys we have are as photographed as the children. They appear in the background of nearly every photo, or indeed are clutched in the hands of a child in the photos. They travel everywhere, globe trotters they are. They are the last thing checked on before we set off on a journey, have we got them, are they safe. Sounds crazy but it is more difficult to mind the cuddle toys than the kids. They are irreplacable. Buying a second version of the same toy does not work. When they were babies I would sneak them from their beds at night to wash and dry them to return them before morning as washing them caused great upset (to the kids that is).

So, Kate allowed Madeleines siblings to carry cuddle cat - a big no no.
Kate washed cuddle cat - never in a million years.
Cuddle cat, after four years of love from Madeleine, was in perfect condition - have never seen that before.

I think the blanket was Madeleines comforter and as such I believe Kate would have wanted it with her and that is where the blanket is.

Cuddlecat is just a good tear jerking image, poor Kate with cuddlecat, poor little sweet Amelie with cuddlecat. The one image I can never forget - cuddlecat peeping out of Kates shoulder bag on her way into the police station. A big bag, a tiny cat and he would not fit inside ? No way, all staged for the cameras.

by **PeterMac** 26.09.12 7:37

On of the stories was that it was a recent present from Uncle someone or other, not four years old.
The washing is therefore even more odd.
It was supposed to be covered in sun cream.
BUT the holiday was early season, and cold - hence the emphasis on no shoes - hence running back for a partner's fleece and so on
So whilst they might have used a bit of sun cream to protect the children it would not have been slathered on, and in any event cuddle cat would have been left during the day, probably tucked up in bed, like all self respecting teddy bears.
So whose sun cream had so fouled the little beast. Kate's ?
Why would she put sun cream on the palms of her hands ?

by **tigger** 26.09.12 7:54

PeterMac wrote:On of the stories was that it was a recent present from Uncle someone or other, not four years old.
The washing is therefore even more odd.
It was supposed to be covered in sun cream.
BUT the holiday was early season, and cold - hence the emphasis on no shoes - hence running back for a partner's fleece and so on
So whilst they might have used a bit of sun cream to protect the children it would not have been slathered on, and in any event cuddle cat would have been left during the day, probably tucked up in bed, like all self respecting teddy bears.
So whose sun cream had so fouled the little beast. Kate's ?
Why would she put sun cream on the palms of her hands ?

Indeed, and there are close-ups of cuddlecat which in no way show a squeeze that's been used for over 3 years. We may assume that Kate's cleanliness was the same as observed in PdL so CC would have been washed at least once a month for say 44 months or so. No towelling toy can stand up to that, besides the simple stitches of the face would have come undone and I don't really see Kate doing the mending. Washing is taking up quite enough of her time.

by sami 26.09.12 9:15

tigger wrote:
PeterMac wrote:On of the stories was that it was a recent present from Uncle someone or other, not four years old.
The washing is therefore even more odd.
It was supposed to be covered in sun cream.
BUT the holiday was early season, and cold - hence the emphasis on no shoes - hence running back for a partner's fleece and so on
So whilst they might have used a bit of sun cream to protect the children it would not have been slathered on, and in any event cuddle cat would have been left during the day, probably tucked up in bed, like all self respecting teddy bears.
So whose sun cream had so fouled the little beast. Kate's ?
Why would she put sun cream on the palms of her hands ?

Indeed, and there are close-ups of cuddlecat which in no way show a squeeze that's been used for over 3 years. We may assume that Kate's cleanliness was the same as observed in PdL so CC would have been washed at least once a month for say 44 months or so. No towelling toy can stand up to that, besides the simple stitches of the face would have come undone and I don't really see Kate doing the mending. Washing is taking up quite enough of her time.

Is the one tootbrush fits all story true ? If so, Kates cleanliness had its limitations.

The amount of sun cream needed was minimal. Yes the weather was bad, but look at the routine, in particular the twins. They went from the apartment a.m. to the creche, back to the apartment for lunch, then back to the crech p.m. Outside for high tea circa 5.30, then possibly a play in the playground, then bed. Not much exposure to daylight there, not to mind uv rays ! Ok, the ice cream trip to the beach is there, but the weather was bad and Madeleine had a trip with her kids club. No mention of the twins going anywhere with their club though.

Anyhow you wash your hands after applying sun cream, otherwise it stains your clothes.

A stupid excuse for washing him and exactly that - an excuse. What she should have said was that one of the twins got sick on him and it broke her heart to have to wash him, more plausible. It was something they did not forsee though so did not have a prepared answer.

by Hummingbird 26.09.12 9:27

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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Please blow the picture up - you will see the mark on the eye and the pyjamas are definately girls, they have little frills around the cuffs in fact when blown up it looks like a little pale blue top worn under a pair of dungarees quite natural for a very young girl to wear. Lots of girls clothes are pale blue, navy blue, duck egg blue, sky blue........!

by Guest 26.09.12 9:38

Heavens yes, the coloboma is actually there in this photo!

Until comparatively recent times (as QI viewers will know!) the colour pink was associated with boys and blue was for girls.

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It's nigh impossible now to think of the colour pink as anything other than very girly.

by Guest 26.09.12 11:04

Jean wrote:Heavens yes, the coloboma is actually there in this photo!

Until comparatively recent times (as QI viewers will know!) the colour pink was associated with boys and blue was for girls.

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It's nigh impossible now to think of the colour pink as anything other than very girly.

Kate, when describing Seans stay as an only boy among so many Tapas-daughters, remarks something as: this would give him a good opportunity to come to grips with his female side.

Odd thing to say regarding a on/two year old, boy isn't it? Is she pre-empting having dressed him or dressing him in pink?

Kate keeps uttering these weird improper teasers more often, as where she said that she hoped something they said or did would prick somebodies conscience. You don't prick a conscience, you touch it.

by Guest 26.09.12 13:03

The expression to prick someone's conscience is correct.

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Sadly the Tapas mob are immune to such things!

The comment about Sean getting in touch with his feminine side could just be a joke.

by **tigger** 26.09.12 15:32

Jean wrote:The expression to prick someone's conscience is correct.

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Sadly the Tapas mob are immune to such things!

The comment about Sean getting in touch with his feminine side could just be a joke.

It's just the sort of remark which is only inappropriate because of Sean's age. It would be OK if Sean was a teenager, but hardly earlier.
She has made many remarks re Maddie which are also age inappropriate.
Such as Maddie being her 'best friend'. In her nightmare, Maddie is holding Kate, not Kate holding Maddie etc.

Her understanding of children is virtually non existent. She expects them to treat her as if they are adults. Apparent in many of her statements. imo.

by jd 26.09.12 21:26

Madeleine McCann: Introducing Amelie And The Maddie Catty 19th May 2007

WITH Madeleine McCann missing – still missing – the papers discover a new angle of investigation: her sister.

“MADDIE COME HOME,” says the Sun’s headline. “Tot hugs Maddie’s cuddle cat.” And there is Amelie McCann holding on to her sister’s comforter.

What purpose this serves, Anorak is unsure. We have tired of looking at the faces of Madeleine McCann’s parents but are we so desperate for a new face in the narrative that we need Amelie? No new suspect. No arrests. No sign of Madeleine. So here’s Amelie. She can keep the story alive, justify its place on the front pages?

While readers wonder why it’s newsworthy to publish a picture of Madeleine McCann’s little sister, while the faces of media shy David Beckham and his tick-like wife’s children are pixelated to preserve their privacy, the Mirror spots Amalie.

More Amelie on the Mirror’s front page. “A cuddle from her little sis,” reads the headline above the shot of Amelia hugging Madeleine’s toy. And on the Express’s front page, more Amelie. And on the Mail’s.

Is this a cynical manipulation of the news? It tugs the heart strings. It cannot fail to. But for what ends? To make us feel more a part of a story turned into public spectacle? Can it be too long before the Mirror is offering readers a chance to buy the “Maddie Cattie”, replica cuddle cloths, with a percentage of profits going to establish a fighting fund?

“Little Amelie McCann clutches her big sister Madeleine’s favourite “Cuddle Cat” soft toy yesterday — and wishes the missing tot was back with her,” says the Sun’s reporter in Praia da Luz.

Touching stuff. Or just creepy…
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By 19th May 2007 when this article was written, while the world were still waiting for a latest picture of Maddie to know exactly who they were looking for..... the mccanns had already registered the cuddlecat domain names! We can see where their priorities lay

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