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

The action icon is rightfully celebrated as an Hollywood heavyweight. However, at the height of his star power in the eighties and nineties, he also headlined several genuinely hilarious comedies. A prime example is Kindergarten Cop, which celebrates its three-and-a-half decade milestone this holiday season.

The Film and That Line

In the classic film, Schwarzenegger plays a undercover cop who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to locate a fugitive. For much of the movie, the crime storyline functions as a simple backdrop for Schwarzenegger to film humorous interactions with kids. The most unforgettable involves a child named Joseph, who out of nowhere announces and informs the stoic star, “Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina.” The Terminator replies icily, “I appreciate the insight.”

The young actor was brought to life by youth performer Miko Hughes. In addition to this part featured a notable part on Full House as the bully to the child stars and the haunting part of the child who returns in the screen translation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He continues to act today, with several projects in development. Additionally, he engages with fans at the con circuit. Recently discussed his experiences from the set of Kindergarten Cop 35 years later.

Memories from the Set

Q: To begin, 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.

That's impressive, I have no memory from being four. Do you remember anything from that time?

Yeah, to a degree. They're brief images. They're like mental photographs.

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

My family, especially my mother would take me to auditions. Often it was a mass tryout. There'd be a room full of young actors and we'd all patiently queue, be seen, be in there for a very short time, deliver a quick line they wanted and that's all. My parents would coach me on the dialogue and then, when I became literate, that was the initial content 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 nice, which I guess isn't too surprising. 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 would be strange if he was mean to all the kids in the classroom.”

I was aware he was a major movie star because my family informed me, but I had never really seen his movies. I knew the air around him — like, that's cool — but he wasn't scary to me. He was just fun and I just wanted to play with him when he wasn't busy. 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 holding on. He was exceptionally kind. He gifted all the students in the classroom a personal stereo, which at the time was a major status symbol. It 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 have a genuine metal whistle. He had the coach whistle, and the kids all got a whistle as well.

Do you remember your experience as being enjoyable?

You know, it's funny, that movie is such a landmark. It was such a big movie, and it was a wonderful time, and you would think, looking back now, I would want my memories to be of the star himself, the legendary director, the location shoot, seeing the set, but my memories are of being a finitely child at lunch. For instance, they got everyone pizza, but I wasn't a pizza fan. All I would eat was the toppings only. Then, the first-generation Game Boy was brand new. That was the big craze, 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 knew how, and I was felt accomplished. So, it's all childhood recollections.

The Line

OK, that specific dialogue, do you remember how it happened? Did you know what you were saying?

At the time, I probably didn't know what the word taboo meant, but I realized it got a reaction and it got a big laugh. I understood it was kind of something I wasn't supposed to do, but I was given approval in this case because it was funny.

“My mom thought hard about it.”

How it originated, according to family lore, was they were still developing characters. Some character lines were established early on, but once they had the kids together, it wasn't necessarily improv, but they refined it on set and, reportedly someone in charge came to my mom and said, "We have an idea. We want Miko to have this line. Are you okay with this?" My mom paused. She said, "I need to consider this, I need time" and took a day or two. She deliberated carefully. She said she was hesitant, but she felt it will probably be one of the unforgettable moments from the movie and history proved her correct.