The strangest thing I saw on a registry was a garden hose. It was at the gift table! I laughed when I saw it. Now that I am a home owner, I can see why they did it.
When hubby and I were making our registry, we went from one end of the apartment to the other. We made a list of everything we needed replaced, wanted upgraded and really wished we had on a regular basis or when hosting guests, before we went to the stores to register. My favorite and most used gift is still my toaster oven-four years later. We are very practical people though, and really didn't want unneeded clutter.