I'm Known As the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Candid Conversation.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known as an Hollywood heavyweight. However, at the height of his cinematic dominance in the late 20th century, he also headlined several surprisingly great comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35-year mark this winter.

The Role and The Famous Scene

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger embodies a tough police officer who masquerades as a kindergarten teacher to catch a killer. During the film's runtime, the procedural element serves as a loose framework for Schwarzenegger to share adorable scenes with children. Without a doubt the standout involves a student named Joseph, who spontaneously rises and states the former bodybuilder, “Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Schwarzenegger deadpans, “Thanks for the tip.”

The young actor was played by child star Miko Hughes. Beyond this role featured a recurring role on Full House playing the antagonist to the Olsen twins and the character of the youngster who comes back in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He still works in film today, with a slate of movies listed on his IMDb. He also frequently attends fan conventions. He recently discussed his experiences from the production after all this time.

Memories from the Set

Q: To begin, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

Miko Hughes: I think I was four. I was the youngest of all the kids on set.

That's impressive, I don't recall being four. Do you remember anything from that time?

Yeah, to a degree. They're brief images. They're like visual recollections.

Do you recall how you got the part in Kindergarten Cop?

My parents, primarily my mom would take me to auditions. Frequently it was a mass tryout. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all patiently queue, enter the casting office, be in there briefly, read a small part they wanted and that was it. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, when I became literate, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.

Do you have any recollection of meeting Arnold? What was your impression of him?

He was very kind. He was enjoyable. He was nice, which I guess makes sense. It would have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that probably wouldn't make for a positive atmosphere. He was great to work with.

“It'd be weird if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom.”

I was aware he was a big action star because I was told, but I had barely seen his movies. I knew the air around him — he was a big deal — but he didn't really intimidate me. He was simply playful and I only wanted to hang out with him when he had time. He was busy, obviously, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd tense up and we'd be hanging off. He was exceptionally kind. He gifted all the students in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was like an iPhone. That was the coolest device, that distinctive classic yellow cassette player. I listened to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It finally gave out. I also was given a real silver whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being enjoyable?

You know, it's interesting, that movie became a phenomenon. It was such a big movie, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, the legendary director, traveling to Oregon, seeing the set, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. For example, they got everyone pizza, but I avoided pizza. All I would eat was the pepperoni off the top. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was new. That was the coolest toy, and I was proficient. I was the smallest kid and some of the older kids would hand me their devices to beat difficult stages on games because I was able to, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all youthful anecdotes.

That Famous Quote

OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember how it happened? Did you know what you were saying?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word shocking meant, but I knew it was provocative and it made adults laugh. I knew it was kind of something I shouldn't normally say, but I was given approval in this case because it was comedic.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it came about, from what I understand, was they were still developing characters. Some character lines were written into the script, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it was more of a collaboration, but they developed it during shooting and, I suppose the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "We're thinking. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took a short while. She deliberated carefully. She said she had doubts, but she thought it will probably be one of the most memorable lines from the movie and her instinct was correct.