[7] Tripp also stated that she drew inspiration from her mother's experiences during the Great Depression, and also from her daughter's tales of affluenza, which she used to teach children the importance of being grateful for what they have and helping those in need.
[9] In 2020, former child model and redditor Caitlin Waite–who lent her likeness to the character–uploaded behind-the-scenes photos of her and a few other models in an Imgur post, also revealing that the character's original meet outfit received a last-minute revision prior to release due to a batch of straw hats that came with the doll which broke easily; the books' illustrations had to be redone to account for the change in material, forcing Waite and the others to travel back to the Pleasant Company offices at Madison, Wisconsin for a reshoot.
[11][12] Her father's business still seemed to do well during the onset of the Great Depression, but was eventually forced to close when Jack used up his savings to pay his employees, sending the Kittredges into poverty.
As her family suffered financially during the Great Depression, she was later seen wearing hand-me-downs or used clothing, and at one point during her birthday, her aunt Millie made her a dress from feed sacks, for which she was eventually grateful.
With the launch of American Girl's BeForever revamp, Kit's meet outfit was retconned to that of a bright blue-green sleeveless dress with a white Peter Pan collar, and a flared skirt with floral print.
The books also depict her as being stubborn and somewhat fussy, as she finds chores around the house to be rather boring and tedious, though eventually she realizes her family's misfortunes and learns to be more supportive and helpful.
Upon hearing about Mrs. Howard and her son Stirling moving into the Kittredge household while her husband was off to Chicago for work, Kit was excited to have a boy of her age to play with.
A trip to the local soup kitchen as part of their punishment made her realize the plight of those surrounding her besides her own family, even more so as her father was one of those in line for lunch.
Having been burned out by the endless chores and errands at home, and with her brother working with the Civilian Conservation Corps in Montana, Kit, with no other choice, decides to go on an adventure with Will, who shared his experiences as a runaway teen leaving his family behind and resorting to morally questionable means to survive such as petty theft and faking illness to gain sympathy.
Will reluctantly takes her and Stirling to the dangerous act of "riding the rails"—hitchhiking aboard freight trains, a common practice by destitute people of the time to find work.
Kit is tasked by Hendrick to write letters to the editor on his behalf expressing his dissatisfaction with society and Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs.
His angry letters, some of which were scathing rants at the expense of the hobo community, concerned Kit, which led her to write an editorial in support of those in need, especially about the struggles less fortunate children had to endure.
A feature film Kit Kittredge: An American Girl was released to theaters on July 2, 2008, starring Abigail Breslin in the title role.
[16][17][18] Breslin's performance in the film was praised by critics;[19][20] Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal wrote that she "carries the event-stuffed story with unflagging grace".
Kho noted how despite the character's shortcomings and initially negative and callous attitude towards those surrounding her, Kit's approach towards adversity "is a good lesson for kids in any situation."
Kho also drew parallels to the 2008 financial crisis (which coincided with the release of the film adaptation), and remarked how the stories were a cautionary tale on dealing with a declining economy; "Even so, the main character's pluckiness will have readers rooting for her to prevail.