I'm Known As the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Comedy: A Look Back.

The Austrian Oak is best known as an iconic tough guy. But, in the midst of his cinematic dominance in the eighties and nineties, he also headlined several genuinely hilarious comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this winter.

The Role and That Line

In the 1990 movie, Schwarzenegger plays a tough police officer who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to catch a killer. For much of the story, the crime storyline acts as a simple backdrop for Schwarzenegger to have charming interactions with kids. Without a doubt the standout belongs to a student named Joseph, who out of nowhere stands up and declares the actor, “Boys have a penis, females have a vagina.” Arnold replies icily, “I appreciate the insight.”

The young actor was brought to life by child star Miko Hughes. Beyond this role encompassed a notable part on Full House as the bully to the Olsen twins and the pivotal role of the child who returns in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with several projects on the horizon. Furthermore, he engages with fans at fan conventions. He recently discussed his memories from the production after all this time.

Memories from the Set

Question: Starting off, how old were you when you filmed Kindergarten Cop?

Miko Hughes: I believe I was four. I was the most junior of all the kids on set.

Wow, I don't recall being four. Do you retain any flashes from that time?

Yeah, somewhat. They're flashes. They're like picture memories.

Do you recall how you landed the job in Kindergarten Cop?

My family, especially my mother would bring me to auditions. Often it was an open call. There'd be dozens of children and we'd all simply wait around, go into the room, be in there briefly, do whatever little line they wanted and then leave. My parents would help me learn the words and then, once I learned to read, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.

Do you have a specific memory of meeting Arnold? What was your feeling about him?

He was extremely gentle. He was enjoyable. He was good-natured, which arguably stands to reason. It would have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom, that likely wouldn't create a good work environment. He was great to work with.

“It would be strange if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom.”

I knew he was a major movie star because that's what my parents told me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I sensed the excitement — it was exciting — but he didn't frighten me. He was just fun and I was eager to interact with him when he had time. He was occupied, of course, but he'd kind of play with us here and there, and we would hang off of his arms. He'd flex and we'd be hanging off. He was incredibly giving. He bought every kid in the classroom a Sony Walkman, which at the time was a major status symbol. It 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 eventually broke. I also have a genuine metal whistle. He had the teacher's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your time filming as being positive?

You know, it's funny, that movie became a phenomenon. It was such a big movie, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, in retrospect, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, visiting Astoria, seeing the set, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the pepperoni off the top. Then, the Nintendo Game Boy was new. That was the big craze, and I was quite skilled. I was the youngest and some of the older kids would ask for my help to get past hard parts on games because I could do it, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all little kid memories.

The Infamous Moment

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

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word shocking meant, but I understood it was edgy and it got a big laugh. I knew it was kind of something I wouldn't usually utter, but I was given an exception in this case because it was humorous.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it came about, according to family lore, was they were still developing characters. Certain bits of dialogue were part of the original screenplay, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't pure improvisation, but they worked on it while filming and, presumably someone in charge came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to say this. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't agree right away. She said, "I need to consider this, I need time" and took some time. She really wrestled with it. She said she wasn't sure, but she felt it could end up as one of the most memorable lines from the movie and she was right.