The story of the complete exploitation of the Dionne Quintuplets by everyone around them, and their push for compensation decades later. | Canadian History Ehx

The First Identical Quintuplets Ever Documented: Dionne Sisters 👩‍👩‍👧‍👧 | Storyteller Corner

Born on May 28, 1934, in Corbeil, Ontario, the Dionne sisters—Yvonne, Annette, Cécile, Émilie, and Marie—were the first identical quintuplets known to survive infancy. Delivered by Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe, their survival astonished the world. The Canadian government took custody in 1935, housing them in “Quintland,” a tourist attraction that drew millions. Exploited for profit, they were isolated behind glass for public viewing until 1943. Though later reunited with their family, the trauma endured.

Yvonne, Annette and Cécile Dionne looking back on their childhood. They were the three surviving Dionne Quintuplets, the first set of surviving quintuplets, born in 1934 and essentially raised in a zoo. People could watch them at play twice a day and there were thousands of photographs taken of the girls before they were 18. At one point, they were the center of one of North America’s biggest tourist attractions. Today, only Annette and Cécile are alive. This video is from 1998, when they filmed