Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (2024)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (1)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (2)

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Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (3)

Margaret “Kit” Kittredge is growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, during the Great Depression. Clever and resourceful, she is happiest climbing trees, playing baseball, and writing news stories.

  • Kit's story
  • Story brought to life
  • Fun facts
  • Kit's era
  • Behind the scenes
  • Shop Kit's world
  • Kit's story
  • Story brought to life
  • Fun facts
  • Kit's era
  • Behind the scenes
  • Shop Kit's world
Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (4)

Kit's story

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (5)

Kit is a clever girl with a nose for news. In her attic bedroom, Kit finds comfort in writing. She wants to be a reporter or journalist someday and spends her days investigating what’s going on around her neighborhood. Kit’s most prized possessions are her typewriter and camera, and with them, she creates a newspaper called The Hard Times News.

While hard times have completely changed her home life, Kit doesn’t spend too much of her time or energy focusing on it. To Kit, these aren’t problems, just opportunities. When Kit’s dad loses his business during the Great Depression, Kit puts her creativity to work to make things better. She helps her mom grow a garden and they sell eggs from the family’s chickens. Through her stories, Kit discovers that, even in hard times, hope is worth holding on to.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (6)


Kit's story



Kit is a clever girl with a nose for news. In her attic bedroom, Kit finds comfort in writing. She wants to be a reporter or journalist someday and spends her days investigating what’s going on around her neighborhood. Kit’s most prized possessions are her typewriter and camera, and with them, she creates a newspaper called The Hard Times News.

While hard times have completely changed her home life, Kit doesn’t spend too much of her time or energy focusing on it. To Kit, these aren’t problems, just opportunities. When Kit’s dad loses his business during the Great Depression, Kit puts her creativity to work to make things better. She helps her mom grow a garden and they sell eggs from the family’s chickens. Through her stories, Kit discovers that, even in hard times, hope is worth holding on to.

Family & friends

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (8)

Family & friends

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (9)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (10)


Margaret Kittredge

Kit’s strong and determined mother. When the Kittredges begin hosting boarders, she turns her flowerbeds into vegetable gardens and the lawn into a chicken run!

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (11)


Jack Kittredge

Kit’s father, who loses his job in the Great Depression. He is generous and supportive. When his car business begins to struggle, he pays his employees out of his own savings for as long as he can.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (12)


Charles Kittredge

Kit’s kind and supportive brother, who is 16. He goes by Charlie, and his college plans have to change when their dad loses his job. Instead, he takes work with the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (13)


Uncle Hendrick

Mother’s uncle, who is wealthy and disapproving. Kit helps him out to earn some money but disagrees with his belief that people facing hard times don’t deserve help.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (14)


Aunt Millie

Dad’s thrifty aunt, who comes to stay with the Kittredges. She helps the Kittredge family make their money go further, and Kit turns her ideas into a book.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (15)


Ruthie Smithens

Kit’s loyal, generous best friend, whose father runs a bank. Ruthie and Kit sometimes struggle to understand the differences between them as the Depression changes their friendship.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (16)


Stirling Howard

Kit’s friend and a boarder in Kit’s house. At first, Kit is disappointed because he’s not an athletic, outdoorsy boy, but they grow closer through their adventures together.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (17)


Louise Howard

Stirling’s mother, and a boarder in Kit’s house. Mrs. Howard is very protective of Stirling. She can’t afford to pay rent and wants to help around the house instead of being treated as a guest.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (18)


Roger Bentley

A know-it-all boy in Kit’s class. Roger is cruel to Kit about her family’s financial situation, but Kit, Ruthie, and Stirling stick up for the Kittredges.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (19)


Will Shepherd

A young hobo from Texas, who is befriended by Kit and her family. Kit longs for Will’s life of adventure as he travels the country looking for work.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (20)

Margaret Kittredge

Kit’s strong and determined mother. When the Kittredges begin hosting boarders, she turns her flowerbeds into vegetable gardens and the lawn into a chicken run!

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (21)

Jack Kittredge

Kit’s father, who loses his job in the Great Depression. He is generous and supportive. When his car business begins to struggle, he pays his employees out of his own savings for as long as he can.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (22)

Charles Kittredge

Kit’s kind and supportive brother, who is 16. He goes by Charlie, and his college plans have to change when their dad loses his job. Instead, he takes work with the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (23)

Uncle Hendrick

Mother’s uncle, who is wealthy and disapproving. Kit helps him out to earn some money but disagrees with his belief that people facing hard times don’t deserve help.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (24)

Aunt Millie

Dad’s thrifty aunt, who comes to stay with the Kittredges. She helps the Kittredge family make their money go further, and Kit turns her ideas into a book.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (25)

Ruthie Smithens

Kit’s loyal, generous best friend, whose father runs a bank. Ruthie and Kit sometimes struggle to understand the differences between them as the Depression changes their friendship.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (26)

Stirling Howard

Kit’s friend and a boarder in Kit’s house. At first, Kit is disappointed because he’s not an athletic, outdoorsy boy, but they grow closer through their adventures together.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (27)

Louise Howard

Stirling’s mother, and a boarder in Kit’s house. Mrs. Howard is very protective of Stirling. She can’t afford to pay rent and wants to help around the house instead of being treated as a guest.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (28)

Roger Bentley

A know-it-all boy in Kit’s class. Roger is cruel to Kit about her family’s financial situation, but Kit, Ruthie, and Stirling stick up for the Kittredges.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (29)

Will Shepherd

A young hobo from Texas, who is befriended by Kit and her family. Kit longs for Will’s life of adventure as he travels the country looking for work.

Story brought to life

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (30)

Story brought to life

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (31)

8 years+

Kit's™ Doll & Accessories

Along with a hat and compass necklace, Kit’s accessories include a faux silver Buffalo nickel like the one she receives from her Uncle Hendrick in her story.

Kit's™ Doll & Accessories

Along with a hat and compass necklace, Kit’s accessories include a faux silver Buffalo nickel like the one she receives from her Uncle Hendrick in her story.

8 years+

Kit's™ Birthday Outfit

Kit’s Aunt Millie makes her a dress out of chicken-feed sacks—families really did this during the Great Depression.

Shop Kit's Birthday Outfit

Kit's™ Birthday Outfit

Kit’s Aunt Millie makes her a dress out of chicken-feed sacks—families really did this during the Great Depression.

Shop Kit's Birthday Outfit

8 years+

Kit's™ Dog, Grace™

Kit finds a hungry basset hound abandoned by her owner. After taking her home, Kit gets to keep her and names her Grace.

Shop Kit's dog, Grace

Kit's™ Dog, Grace™

Kit finds a hungry basset hound abandoned by her owner. After taking her home, Kit gets to keep her and names her Grace.

Shop Kit's dog, Grace

8 years+

Kit's™ Homemade Scooter

Upcycling was popular during the Great Depression, and Kit fashions this one-of-a-kind scooter from an old orange crate and discarded roller skates.

Shop Kit's Homemade Scooter

Kit's™ Homemade Scooter

Upcycling was popular during the Great Depression, and Kit fashions this one-of-a-kind scooter from an old orange crate and discarded roller skates.

Shop Kit's Homemade Scooter

8 years+

Kit's™ Beach Pajamas

Beach pajamas were styled after the costumes of Hollywood stars. The three nautical flags on the pocket represent I, L, and U in code—to signal "I love you."

Shop Kit's Beach Pajamas

Kit's™ Beach Pajamas

Beach pajamas were styled after the costumes of Hollywood stars. The three nautical flags on the pocket represent I, L, and U in code—to signal "I love you."

Shop Kit's Beach Pajamas

8 years+

Kit's™ School Lunch

Many families learned how to grow and preserve fruits and vegetables from their own gardens in the 1930s. Food could be served right away or canned for winter.

Kit's™ School Lunch

Many families learned how to grow and preserve fruits and vegetables from their own gardens in the 1930s. Food could be served right away or canned for winter.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (44)

Read All About it!

Kit Kittredge is nine years old when her dad loses his car dealership because of the Great Depression. As Kit’s own family struggles, Mrs. Kittredge decides to take in boarders, or renters. This means big changes for the entire family, especially for Kit, who must move into the attic. The future is uncertain for the Kittredge family, but like many people affected by the Great Depression, they pull together and find happiness despite the economic difficulties. The first book in Kit’s stories is richly illustrated in full color and includes a “Looking Back” historical section about Kit’s world in 1934. Read an excerpt

Shop Read All About It!

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (45)


Read All About it!

Kit Kittredge is nine years old when her dad loses his car dealership because of the Great Depression. As Kit’s own family struggles, Mrs. Kittredge decides to take in boarders, or renters. This means big changes for the entire family, especially for Kit, who must move into the attic. The future is uncertain for the Kittredge family, but like many people affected by the Great Depression, they pull together and find happiness despite the economic difficulties. The first book in Kit’s stories is richly illustrated in full color and includes a “Looking Back” historical section about Kit’s world in 1934. Read an excerpt

Shop Read All About It!

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (46)

Turning Things Around

For Kit, the Depression has brought big changes: a houseful of boarders, tons of chores, and no birthday party. Then Aunt Millie arrives, and it looks as if her great ideas might turn things around for the Kittredges. But when Kit’s taste for adventure gets her into trouble, she discovers that the Depression has hit a lot of people far worse than her own family. Can one girl make a difference for homeless kids—when even grownups have lost hope? The second book in Kit’s stories is richly illustrated in full color and includes a “Looking Back” historical section about Kit’s world in 1934. Read an excerpt


Shop Turning Things Around

Learning materials for schools and book clubs can be found here.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (47)


Turning Things Around

For Kit, the Depression has brought big changes: a houseful of boarders, tons of chores, and no birthday party. Then Aunt Millie arrives, and it looks as if her great ideas might turn things around for the Kittredges. But when Kit’s taste for adventure gets her into trouble, she discovers that the Depression has hit a lot of people far worse than her own family. Can one girl make a difference for homeless kids—when even grownups have lost hope? The second book in Kit’s stories is richly illustrated in full color and includes a “Looking Back” historical section about Kit’s world in 1934. Read an excerpt

Shop Turning Things Around

Learning materials for schools and book clubs can be found here.


Author & illustrator

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (48)

Author & illustrator

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (49)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (50)


Author Valerie Tripp

Valerie Tripp says that she became a writer because of the kind of person she is. She says she’s curious, and writing requires you to be interested in everything. Some of the details in Kit’s books are based on real things that happened to Ms. Tripp’s mother and grandparents during the Great Depression. Ms. Tripp says talking is her favorite sport, and writing is a way of talking on paper! She’s a daydreamer, which helps her come up with her ideas. And she loves words. She even loves the struggle to come up with just the right words as she writes and rewrites. Ms. Tripp lives in Maryland with her husband.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (51)


Illustrator Walter Rane

Walter Rane wanted to be an artist ever since he was in kindergarten. At age ten he painted his first oil paintings, using the paints from a paint-by-number kit but ignoring the numbers and lines. He has worked as a book and magazine illustrator and painter for decades. Mr. Rane lives with his wife in New York City.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (52)

Author Valerie Tripp

Valerie Tripp says that she became a writer because of the kind of person she is. She says she’s curious, and writing requires you to be interested in everything. Some of the details in Kit’s books are based on real things that happened to Ms. Tripp’s mother and grandparents during the Great Depression. Ms. Tripp says talking is her favorite sport, and writing is a way of talking on paper! She’s a daydreamer, which helps her come up with her ideas. And she loves words. She even loves the struggle to come up with just the right words as she writes and rewrites. Ms. Tripp lives in Maryland with her husband.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (53)

Illustrator Walter Rane

Walter Rane wanted to be an artist ever since he was in kindergarten. At age ten he painted his first oil paintings, using the paints from a paint-by-number kit but ignoring the numbers and lines. He has worked as a book and magazine illustrator and painter for decades. Mr. Rane lives with his wife in New York City.

Fun facts

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (54)

Fun facts

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (55)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (56)

Kit likes her nickname more than her real name, which is Margaret Mildred. Her nicknmae comes from a song her father likes that begins, "Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, and smile, boys, smile!"

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (57)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (58)

Kit creates her own newspaper. She calls it The Hard Times News.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (59)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (60)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (61)

Kit's best friend is Ruthie Smithens–also known as "goofy Ruthie". Together, they throw a penny-pincher birthday party for Kit.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (62)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (63)

Kit's favorite baseball player is Ernie Lombardi, who plays for the Cincinnati Reds, her favorite team.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (64)

Kit was born on May 19, 1923, which made 2023 the year of

her hundredth birthday!

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (65)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (66)

Pilot Amelia Earhart, who was the first woman to fly and solo across the Atlantic Ocean, is one of Kit's heroes.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (67)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (68)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (69)

Kit likes her nickname more than her real name, which is Margaret Mildred. Her nickname comes from a song her father likes that begins, “Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, and smile, boys, smile!”

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (70)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (71)

Kit creates her own newspaper. She calls it The Hard Times News.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (72)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (73)

Kit’s best friend is Ruthie Smithens—also known as “goofy Ruthie.” Together, they throw a penny-pincher birthday party for Kit.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (74)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (75)

Kit’s favorite baseball player is Ernie Lombardi, who plays for the Cincinnati Reds, her favorite team.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (76)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (77)

Kit was born on May 19, 1923, which makes 2023 the year of her hundredth birthday!

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (78)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (79)

Pilot Amelia Earhart, who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, is one of Kit’s heroes.

Kit's era

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (80)

Kit's era

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (81)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (82)

The Great Depression began with a stock market crash on October 29, 1929 and lasted for over a decade.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (83)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (84)

In the 1930s, the number of women employed rose by 24 percent.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (85)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (86)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (87)

The movie industry boomed in the 1930s with eighty million people going to the movies every week.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (88)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (89)

The first night game ever played by a professional baseball team was played by the Cincinnati Reds in 1935, and President Roosevelt turned on the lights from the White House.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (90)

Eleanor Roosevelt was a very active and involved First Lady, including representing the president when he couldn't go places due to his disability from having polio.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (91)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (92)

Along with the Great Depression, there was also a long drought, or dry spell, which caused dust storms across the Midwest.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (93)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (94)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (95)

The Great Depression began with a stock market crash on October 29, 1929 and lasted for over a decade.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (96)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (97)

In the 1930s, the number of women employed rose by 24 percent.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (98)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (99)

The movie industry boomed in the 1930s with eighty million people going to the movies every week.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (100)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (101)

The first night game ever played by a professional baseball team was played by the Cincinnati Reds in 1935, and President Roosevelt turned on the lights from the White House.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (102)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (103)

Eleanor Roosevelt was a very active and involved First Lady, including representing the president when he couldn’t go places due to his disability from having polio.

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (104)

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (105)

Along with the Great Depression, there was also a long drought, or dry spell, which caused dust storms across the Midwest.

Behind the scenes

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (106)

Behind the scenes

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (107)

  • Kit Kittredge is the seventh historical character that American Girl created.
  • When she wrote the Kit books, author Valerie Tripp was inspired by her mother, who was Kit’s age in 1932.
  • The movie Kit Kittredge: An American Girl was released in 2008 and starred Abigail Breslin as Kit—plus actors Chris O’Donnell, Julia Ormond, Joan Cusack, and Stanley Tucci.
  • Illustrator Walter Rane used himself as a model for the grumpy grocery store owner in Kit’s stories.
  • When Kit launched, American Girl held events called Kit’s Share and Care Party where girls were invited to donate canned goods for a food drive.
  • Like Kit’s dad, author Valerie Tripp’s grandfather paid his staff out of his own pocket as long as he could, but eventually had to close his hotel during the Great Depression.
  • Kit was the first American Girl character doll with freckles and the first with short hair.
  • Development on Kit was started before Mattel purchased Pleasant Company (American Girl’s original company name) but she was launched after the purchase.
  • After the launch of the Kit doll and books, Valerie Tripp received a letter from a woman named Kit Kittredge who had grown up in Cincinnati during the Depression and was very excited about the coincidence!
  • American Girl’s Claudie Wells, whose stories are set in the 1920s, could have faced the challenges of the Great Depression in her teens and twenties.
  • Kit Kittredge is the seventh historical character that American Girl created.
  • When she wrote the Kit books, author Valerie Tripp was inspired by her mother, who was Kit’s age in 1932.
  • The movie Kit Kittredge: An American Girl was released in 2008 and starred Abigail Breslin as Kit—plus actors Chris O’Donnell, Julia Ormond, Joan Cusack, and Stanley Tucci.
  • Illustrator Walter Rane used himself as a model for the grumpy grocery store owner in Kit’s stories.
  • When Kit launched, American Girl held events called Kit’s Share and Care Party where girls were invited to donate canned goods for a food drive.
  • Like Kit’s dad, author Valerie Tripp’s grandfather paid his staff out of his own pocket as long as he could, but eventually had to close his hotel during the Great Depression.
  • Kit was the first American Girl character doll with freckles and the first with short hair.
  • Development on Kit was started before Mattel purchased Pleasant Company (American Girl’s original company name) but she was launched after the purchase.
  • After the launch of the Kit doll and books, Valerie Tripp received a letter from a woman named Kit Kittredge who had grown up in Cincinnati during the Depression and was very excited about the coincidence!
  • American Girl’s Claudie Wells, whose stories are set in the 1920s, could have faced the challenges of the Great Depression in her teens and twenties.

Shop Kit's world

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (108)

Shop Kit's world

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (109)

In every era, character counts

Learn more about other historical characters

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (114)

In every era, charactercounts

Learn more about other historical characters

Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (115)

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Meet Kit Kittredge™ | American Girl® (2024)
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