The blips are a series of short "advertisements" that were aired on TV during the lead-up to Radiohead's fourth and fifth studio albums, Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001) respectively. They were usually between five and ten seconds long, with a short extract from one of the songs from the promoted album. The visuals for the blips were made by Stanley Donwood along with several collaborators, featuring the modified bear and various scenes of desolate alien landscapes, similar to those seen in the album art for Kid A.
From 1998 to 2000, the only source of information about the band's activities was an online diary kept by Ed O'Brien, which he updated infrequently. The airing of the blips was significant, as it marked the end of a period of silence from the band.