ADVICE FROM THE DIONNE QUINTUPLETS

By ANNETTE DIONNE; CECILE DIONNE; YVONNE DIONNE

Before the McCaugheys, the most famous multiple births--by far--were the Dionne quintuplets, five identical girls born to a French-Canadian farmer and his wife in Corbeil, Ont., on May 28, 1934. The media got wind of the event when the father called the local newspaper to ask whether a birth announcement for five babies would cost the same as one. An enterprising journalist filed a wire-service report, and the quints--Annette, Emilie, Yvonne, Cecile and Marie--became global celebrities. Three Hollywood movies were made of their lives; in the midst of the Depression, sales of Dionne dolls outstripped those of Shirley Temple.

This week the surviving Dionne sisters, Annette, Cecile and Yvonne, now 63, asked TIME to print this open letter to the McCaugheys:

Dear Bobbi and Kenny,

If we emerge momentarily from the privacy we have sought all our adult lives, it is only to send a message to the McCaughey family. We three would like you to know we feel a natural affinity and tenderness for your children. 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.

Our lives have been ruined by the exploitation we suffered at the hands of the government of Ontario, our place of birth. We were displayed as a curiosity three times a day for millions of tourists. To this day we receive letters from all over the world. To all those who have expressed their support in light of the abuse we have endured, we say thank you. And to those who would seek to exploit the growing fame of these children, we say beware.

We sincerely hope a lesson will be learned from examining how our lives were forever altered by our childhood experience. If this letter changes the course of events for these newborns, then perhaps our lives will have served a higher purpose.

Sincerely, Annette, Cecile and Yvonne Dionne