I'm Known As the ‘Penis and Vagina’ Kid from the Classic 1990 Film: A Look Back.

The Austrian Oak is best known as an iconic tough guy. Yet, at the height of his blockbuster fame in the eighties and nineties, he also headlined several critically acclaimed comedies. Chief among them is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this holiday season.

The Film and An Iconic Moment

In the hit comedy, Schwarzenegger portrays a undercover cop who poses as a schoolteacher to track down a criminal. For much of the movie, the procedural element functions as a basic structure for Arnold to film humorous scenes with children. Without a doubt the standout belongs to a child named Joseph, who spontaneously stands up and informs the former bodybuilder, “Boys have a penis, and girls get a vagina.” The Terminator responds dryly, “Thanks for the tip.”

That iconic child was played by child star Miko Hughes. In addition to this part included a character arc on Full House as the schoolyard menace to the famous sisters and the character of the resurrected boy 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 popular culture events. Not long ago recalled his memories from the production after all this time.

A Young Actor's Perspective

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

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

Wow, I can't remember being four. Do you remember anything from that time?

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

Do you recall how you were cast in Kindergarten Cop?

My mother, mainly would bring me to auditions. Sometimes it was an open call. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all patiently queue, enter the casting office, be in there for a very short time, read a small part they wanted and that's all. My parents would feed me the lines 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 take on him?

He was incredibly nice. He was enjoyable. He was good-natured, which arguably makes sense. It'd be weird 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 have been odd if he was unpleasant to all the kids in the classroom.”

I was aware he was a huge celebrity because I was told, but I had never really seen his movies. I felt the importance — he was a big deal — but he didn't frighten me. He was simply playful and I just wanted to play with him when he had time. He was busy, obviously, but he'd occasionally joke around here and there, and we would dangle from his limbs. He'd tense up and we'd be hanging off. He was incredibly giving. He bought every kid in the classroom a yellow cassette player, which at the time was like an iPhone. This was the hottest tech out there, that iconic bright yellow cassette player. I played the Power Rangers soundtrack and the Ninja Turtles soundtrack for ages on that thing. It eventually broke. I also received a authentic coach's whistle. He had the referee's whistle, and the kids all received one too as well.

Do you remember your days on set as being enjoyable?

You know, it's funny, that movie was this cultural thing. It was a huge film, and it was such an amazing experience, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of working with Arnold, working with [director] Ivan Reitman, visiting Astoria, seeing the set, but my memories are of being a selective diner at lunch. Like, they got everyone pizza, but I didn't even like pizza. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was brand new. That was the hot thing, and I was quite skilled. I was the smallest kid and some of the other children would ask for my help to pass certain levels on games because I was able to, and I was quite pleased with myself. So, it's all little kid memories.

That Famous Quote

OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember how it happened? Did you grasp the meaning?

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word taboo meant, but I understood it was edgy and it made adults laugh. I was aware it was kind of something I shouldn't normally say, but I was given an exception in this case because it was comedic.

“She really wrestled with it.”

How it originated, from what I understand, was they hadn't finalized all the dialogue. Some character lines were written into the script, but once they had the entire ensemble assembled, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they refined it on set and, I suppose it's either the director or producers came to my mom and said, "There's a concept. We want Miko to deliver this dialogue. Are you okay with this?" My mom didn't agree right away. She said, "Give me a moment, I need time" and took some time. She deliberated carefully. She said she had doubts, but she felt it would likely become one of the most memorable lines from the movie and she was right.