The dionne sisters, born in canada in 1934, were the first quintuplets to survive infancy. In their matching white dresses, the five identical girls quickly became a fairy tale for a Depression-weary world. But the plot soon turned grim. The sisters were put on display by the Ontario government, where they spent nine years at a nursery turned amusement park that came to be known as "Quint-land." Every day, more than 6,000 visitors came to watch the girls play. Later, after they returned to their family, the sisters accused their father of sexual abuse. Two died young. The three remaining lived together (two of them had divorced), and in 1998 The New York Times described them as "broke and bitter." When an American family, the McCaugheys, gave birth to septuplets in 1997, the remaining Dionnes penned them a letter of advice. "We hope your children receive more respect than we did. Their fate should be no different from that of other children. Multiple births should not be confused with entertainment, nor should they be an opportunity to sell products," they wrote. "Our lives have been ruined by the exploitation we suffered..."
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