The Dionne Quintuplets are a subject of another book written by Sarah Miller. But this time the subject is on the exploitation of the quints. (1)

Dionne Quintuplets Early Years

The girls were born in Corbeil, Ontario on May 28, 1934. The sisters, Annette, Emilie, Yvonne, Cecile, Marie, were the only surviving, identical quintuplets of their time. But their stories are not happy miracles. Rather, a tragedy with far-reaching consequences. 

Oliva and Ezrile Dionne had many other children before the quints were born in the middle of the Great Depression. Dr. Alan Dafoe delivered the babies and immediately ran to tell the world. Within hours of their birth, the babies were lined up beside their mother, who had barely survived their delivery, for their first public photo. The picture was published in the newspaper and it was the beginning of public life the family didn’t ask for. 

Dionne Quintuplets On Display 

Initially, the media attention brought them help – donated supplies like breast milk and incubators that saved their lives. But within days, the Dionnes’ yard was full of people peering in through the house windows trying to see the babies. 

Oliva Dionne, the father, worried about how he would provide for these girls and confided in his priest. The priest offered to be his business manager and within 2 weeks he had a deal for Dionne. If Dionne would display his children at the Chicago World Fair for 6 months when they were healthy, he would get tens of thousands of dollars. Dionne agreed, signed the deal, and then immediately regretted it and tried to get out. But the promoters refused. 

At the same time, the quintuplets started to lose weight. Dr. Dafoe sequestered them in a room and forbid contact with anyone, including the parents. With the Chicago racket trying to enforce the deal, the attorney general’s office made a new offer – sign the girls over to the care of Red Cross for 2 years. Red Cross would have custody, they weren’t under obligation to the Chicago promoters, and they promised to build a brand new hospital across the road just for them.

The Quintuplets Move

Once the Dionne quintuplets moved, it became harder for Oliva and Elzire to see their girls. The hospital was sterile and sealed off, so the Dionnes were not allowed much access and were not allowed to be alone with them. 

Then suddenly, the government proposed a bill to “protect” the girls. The idea was that any money made would go into a trust fund so that the quintuplets would not be exploited. The bill passed, the Dionnes were stripped of their custody rights and the girls were removed completely from them. Dafoe became responsible for the girls—him and a rotating team of nurses. 

The Great Exploitation Of the Dionne Quintuplets

The quintuplets lived in the hospital until age 9. Every day they were moved into an outdoor playroom with a public observation hall where tourists could pay a fee to come and watch them play. Souvenir shops sat at the end of the hall, one run by the midwives and one by Oliva Dionne. 

Souvenirs, dolls, hospitality tourism, paid photoshoots and ads with the Dionne quintuplets soon popped up everywhere. Everyone took advantage of the new tourist attraction, and the girls’ fame, too. The money went into the trust fund, but the fund paid for every single hospital cost. 

When Oliva and Elzire finally got the quintuplets back, all was not wonderful. The trust fund paid for a beautiful new home that would fit all now 15 members of the family, but some of the quints would later say their father abused them. Something he and the other children denied.  They would also say Elzire was cruel to them, hit them and insulted them.

Dionne Quintuplets In Later Years

Eventually, interest died down. Emilie left home and entered a convent and later died from a severe seizure. Two of the sisters went to nursing school. Marie married and had children and later died. The cause of death was never determined. 

When the 3 living quintuplets finally got a hold of their trust fund, more than half of it was gone. They struggled to make ends meet. They sued the Ontario government, took a $4 million settlement, and then retreated into private life. Some of that settlement was stolen from Cecile, who was forced to live in a state-run nursing home. They rarely speak to the public except to warn others that this must never happen again.