I distinctly remember being a child and trying to slice a tomato with a karate chop after seeing this commercial. I also remember seeing Weird Al on MTV and trying to make all the sandwiches that he did (strawberry ice cream, carrots, mustard).
Somehow I ended up with one of the Ginsu steak knives. I think I got it from a roommate who "forgot" it when he moved out. It wasn't a terrible knife, but it wasn't anything amazing either.