What’s the meaning of the Easter bunny? Said another way, what does a bunny have to do with the resurrection of Christ?
Remember that Jesus himself taught in parables. The main challenge facing the early Church was to bring the Gospel to the pagans -- which meant bringing the message to them using symbols and in terms that they could understand and readily accept.
The Christmas tree, an evergreen, represents enduring life in the dead of winter. The exchange of gifts harkens to the Magi. On Easter, the rabbits emerging from hibernation and the eggs are both representative of life re-emerging from the metaphorical death of winter, and of a new life beginning. Lilies are another Easter symbol for the same reason.
Standing alone on a chocolate package or a Hallmark card, the symbols aren't terribly important. But if you're addressing an audience of pagans, they're a strong jumping-off point for a sermon or a lesson. I strongly suspect that they were used that way in the early Church, and that from there they took on a life (so to speak) of their own.
After mass today at my Catholic parish the kids were greeted by the Easter Bunny passing out eggs. We have no problem with it. The bunny and the resurrection have nothing to do with each other but they both have something to do with spring and renewal.