I'm Known As the ‘Boys Have a Penis’ Kid from Kindergarten Cop: A Look Back.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known as an action movie legend. But, during the peak of his cinematic dominance in the late 20th century, he also headlined several genuinely hilarious comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this winter.

The Role and The Famous Scene

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger plays a undercover cop who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to catch a killer. Throughout the film's runtime, the investigation plot functions as a basic structure for Arnold to have charming scenes with children. Without a doubt the standout features a little boy named Joseph, who spontaneously announces and declares the stoic star, “Males have a penis, girls have a vagina.” Arnold responds dryly, “I appreciate the insight.”

The boy behind the line was played by former young actor Miko Hughes. Beyond this role featured a notable part on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the child stars and the pivotal role of the child who returns in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Hughes remains active today, with a slate of movies on the horizon. He also frequently attends the con circuit. Recently discussed his recollections from the filming of the classic 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 smallest of all the kids on set.

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

Yeah, a little bit. They're brief images. They're like picture memories.

Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?

My family, especially my mother would bring me to auditions. Frequently it was an open call. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all just have to wait, enter the casting office, be in there briefly, deliver a quick line they wanted and that's all. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, as soon as I could read, that was probably the first stuff I was reading.

Do you have an impression of meeting Arnold? What was your take on him?

He was very kind. He was fun. He was good-natured, which I suppose makes sense. It would be strange if he was a dick to all the kids in the classroom, that surely wouldn't foster a positive atmosphere. He was a joy to have on set.

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

I was aware he was a big action star because my family informed me, but I had not actually watched his movies. I knew the air around him — he was a big deal — but he didn't frighten me. He was merely entertaining and I just wanted to play with him when he had time. He was working hard, but he'd sometimes engage here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd flex and we'd be hanging off. He was really, really generous. He bought every kid in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was the hottest tech. That was the hottest tech out there, that funky old yellow cassette player. I used to rock out to the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It finally gave out. I also received a genuine metal whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your days on set as being fun?

You know, it's interesting, that movie was this cultural thing. It was such a big movie, and it was an incredible opportunity, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of collaborating with Schwarzenegger, the direction of Ivan Reitman, the location shoot, being on a professional set, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. For example, they got everyone pizza, but I avoided pizza. All I would eat was the meat from the top. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was new. That was the hot thing, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the bigger kids would ask for my help to beat difficult stages on games because I was able to, and I was really proud of that. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Infamous Moment

OK, the penis and vagina line, do you remember how it happened? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I wasn't fully aware of what the word taboo meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it got a big laugh. I knew it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given special permission in this case because it was funny.

“It was a difficult decision for her.”

How it was conceived, according to family lore, was they were still developing characters. A few scenes were written into the script, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they worked on it while filming and, presumably the filmmakers came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to deliver this dialogue. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't answer immediately. She said, "I need to consider this, I need time" and took some time. It was a tough call for her. She said she was hesitant, but she thought it could end up as one of the most memorable lines from the movie and she was right.