Dionne Quintuplets 101

Welcome to another post within my 101 series, my way of keeping interest in antiques and collectibles alive, hopefully adding to your knowledge base, or maybe sparking interest in a reader who might start a new collection.  In the world of antiques, there is always something new to learn.....or should I say something "old" to learn?

Before John and Kate Plus 8, before Octo Mom, there were the Dionne Quintuplets.  Their story is a fascinating one, and could have served as a cautionary tale about exploitation of "multiples"  that the Gosselin parents and Octo Mom should have been apprised of before they went public with their broods.

The Dionne quints were born on May 28, 1934 in Corbeil, Ontario, Canada.  They were five identical girls (all from one energetic splitting egg!), and each weighed less than two pounds.  Not really expected to survive, they were kept next to a wood-buring stove in their impoverished parents' home to keep warm.  They were the world's first surviving quintuplets, and immediately caused a sensation during the good-news-depleted depression.

As the thriving babies grew, the physician that delivered them, Dr. Dafoe, became a celebrity, especially after the quints were made wards of the Ontario government (the parents were deemed unfit to raise them).  A hospital, eventually known as "Quintland" was built right across the street from the Dionne's home.  Nurses would bring them one at a time to a balcony to show them to the waiting crowd.

 
Quintland eventually became a theme park, and the girls were put on display for up to 6,000 people a day who watched their activities such as eating or playing behind a one-way screen.  Quintland souvenirs were sold by the thousands. The adorable quints and Dr. Dafoe became very lucrative to advertisers and endorsed hundreds of products.  Just do a search on eBay for "Dionne quintuplets" and you'll see all sorts of Dionne memorabilia, like this adorable basket of the five baby girls: 

Can you believe this bizarre story?  It gets worse.  The parents were made to feel unwelcome at Quintland, as the evil Dr. Dafoe ran the show.  They girls were studied scientifically, X-rayed, filmed, poked and prodded.  The quints, named Cecile, Emilie, Marie, Annette, and Yvonne, recalled being viewed behind a gauze screen as hordes of visitors were ushered through a corridor.  They lived at Quintland for nine years, after which their parents were able to regain custody.  The girls lived with their parents and siblings until they were 18, then moved out and severed contact with their parents, claiming their father abused them.

 

There's much more to the story, very worthy of exploring further if you are interested.  To wind things up here, there are only two quints alive today, Annette and Cecile.  Emilie and Marie died as young women, ages 20 and 34.  Yvonne died at age 64.  Annette and Cecile are 75 years old and, believe it or not, have had to negotiate with the Ontario government to claim some of the money generated at Quintland.

There is still a lot of Dionne quint memorabilia floating about.  I often come across postcard sets depicting the photogenic girls or scenes of Quintland.  Magazines from the 1930's and 40's will have the occasional ad for cake mix the girls liked or some product Dr. Dafoe was endorsing.  More valuable quint collectibles include sets of five dolls, paper doll sets, or this very unusual folk art painting that recently sold on eBay for $3.499.99:

 
Below is a calendar top with a typical artistic rendering of the girls at play:

I found this baggie full of Dionne quint newspaper clippings and pictures at an auction recently.  If you had never heard of the Dionne quints, wouldn't you probably pass this by at a sale?  Now that you know a little bit, would you like to open up this baggie and see what's in there?  If so, my little post is a success!

Happy hunting for treasures this weekend, everyone!

Mitzi

Comments

[Annette]

Very interesting post. I do remember knowing of the quints but did not know all the sad details of their lives. How fun to find the newspaper clippings!
Annette

[Pam]

Hi Mitzi,
Thanks so much for the comment about my ideas for vintage wallpaper on my blog!
I love your site too and the vintage hat boxes are great!
Pam

[wini]

Wow, what a fascinating story! Such cute little girls. How sad to read that they were exploited and abused. I love the memorabilia.

[sherri s.]

Wow, so interesting...I knew about some of this stuff, but not all of it! Poor babies...BTW, my oh-so-fabulous box of goodies has arrived. Look for a blog post about it from me very soon. And how can I thank you enough? It is a veritable treasure trove!

[Mitzi Curi]

I'm glad you found my Dionne 101 post interesting, and that you received the giveaway package. Have a wonderful weekend, Sherri!

Mitzi

[Erin (colleen's sister @ freshvintage)]

VERY interesting - learned something creepy & new today! Thanks for sharing - great post!

[Mitzi Curi]

Erin, thanks for stopping by and leaving a nice comment for me. I enjoy your sister's blog very much. I think we're all on the same wavelength.....

Mitzi

[Spencer]

My daughter started collecting Dionne Quint things when she was ten or eleven....we went to an outdoor flea market and she happened across the music entitled Fifty Chubby Tiny Toes...and fell in love. She has TONS of things she's collected over the years...she's 39 now and is still looking. Your collection is just wonderful.

Did you ever see the movie?

Warm blessings,
Spencer

[Mitzi Curi]

Yes, I did see the T.V. movie several (many?) years ago, and thought it was quite interesting. I'll bet your daughter has a fascinating collection! You should consider doing a blog post about it.....with lots of pictures!

[Bev C]

Hello Mitzi,thanks for the interesting info,what a weird upbringing they had. They were so cute which probably appealed to the advertisers of the day. Have a great weekend.
Bev.xoxo

[kristtie]

Wow, this is creepy!

A movie? I have to see if I can find that. You have me really curious about this subject now . I guess I want to be creeped out some more. HA!

[Karla Nathan]

Those poor, sad babies!!

[Mitzi Curi]

Kristtie,

Theres a fine line between being creeped out and very curious. I just cant believe how the Canadian government exploited these poor children, then denied them compensation in their adult years. They really dropped the ball! The movie was one of those made-for-TV specials, not a theater release, FYI.

Mitzi

[jackie]

I saw the film on TV not long ago in UK and was fascinated. I didn't know they had this other souvenir industry going. How fascinating and how sad too.

[Debbie]

when my Grandmother died in 1985 we found a cardboard fan (on a wooden stick) with a picture of the quints on it. They had a sad, bizarre life.
I have no idea what happened to my Grandmothers fan. Trash I suppose.

[beau.wasser@yahoo.com]

I am not sure where I would go for or to with this question as I am not really knowledgeable on these things but I will give it a go. I aquired two antique photo card albums with about 500 cards each in them. These cards date back to post c...ards and the earliest beginnings of the Hall and Hallmark names. They are in mint condition and in the books which are acid proofed. They are unbelievable the craftsmanship that went into the etching and detail with hand cut ribbons and pop ups. there are quite a few that were sent to the first sextuplets born in the world who resided in Canada. Alot of those cards were hand made by the Halls and had the sextuplets faces on them. My question is, where can or who would be interested in these types of things. There are some that are from presidents and dignitaries. Please if you would be able to help me with this I would appreciate it. I thought of American Road Show but they dont come our way. Thank you for any information.See More

[Mitzi Curi]

Wow, I think you have something very special! Maybe the Hallmark company themselves would be interested in purchasing them. Its hard to estimate the value of something like this, because its so rare. I know if you listed the albums on eBay with accurate descriptions you would probably do quite well. Another option would be to contact an expert, such as Kovels, who have a website you can hook into. Or, theres a What is it, what is it worth? column in Country Living magazine. You could send them some pictures of your albums with a thorough description to get an estimate of the value. I hope these suggestions help.....good luck!

Mitzi

[LuAnn Smith]

Mitzi, I'm always amazed at how much you know! LOL

[Autumn Luciano]

The Dionne quints are relatives of mine, I remember watching the movie when I was very young and my mom telling me we were related. I have that calendar you posted of them, and my mom has the karo ad, I've come across a set of dolls before but it was way more money than I had on me. I would love to collect more things eventually. Especially since they are blood.

[Mitzi Curi]

Hi Autumn,

Thats amazing that you are related to the Dionne quints! I think they are fascinating. What a wonderful collecting opportunity you have right now, when the memorabilia is fairly plentiful and prices reasonable (except for very special things like sets of dolls). I would use your relationship with the Dionnes to your advantage when buying from antiques dealers. I think if you tell them you are related, you could get some sort of additional discount.....lol. It wouldnt hurt to try!

Mitzi

[Autumn Luciano]

Hi Mitzi,
Yes I really do want to start collecting more Dionne things, I always feel too awkward to barter most of the time, its my one downfall. I've been getting a tiny bit better though. (o:
-Autumn

[Carol Williams]

I recently went to a yard sale a young lady was having. I noticed a wooden box the size of a show box with 5 little china babies in white gowns with a little lace. The box was actually a crib with sheets and pillows. I said to the lady, "Do you know you might have a valuable antique hear?". She had never heard of the Dionne Quints. Sadly to say someone at the sale had dropped one of the babies and broke it. Everything else was perfect, clean and had been box away in her grandmother closet. What do you think this is worth?

[Mitzi Curi]

Hi Carol!

Wow, what a shame that someone dropped one of the babies! If they had all been in good condition, I think the set would be worth a couple hundred dollars. Still, even with a damaged baby, it could be fairly valuable. There could be buyers looking to complete their set, if they have one or two missing dolls. The best way to find out what people are willing to pay is to list it on eBay, with a good description and pictures, and let the buying public determine the value.

Have a great weekend,
Mitzi