diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/codecell.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/codecell.js
index 3ef98ff09..c833825d0 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/codecell.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/codecell.js
@@ -413,8 +413,8 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
         // Cancel this unfocus event if the base wants to cancel or the cell 
         // completer is open or the tooltip is open.
         return IPython.Cell.prototype.should_cancel_blur.apply(this) ||
-            (this.completer && this.completer.is_visible()) ||
-            (IPython.tooltip && IPython.tooltip.is_visible());
+            (this.completer && this.completer.was_shown()) ||
+            (IPython.tooltip && IPython.tooltip.was_shown());
     };
 
     CodeCell.prototype.select_all = function () {
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/completer.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/completer.js
index 3fd724558..1c9421ae3 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/completer.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/completer.js
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
 
     var Completer = function (cell) {
         this._visible = false;
+        this._shown = false;
         this.cell = cell;
         this.editor = cell.code_mirror;
         var that = this;
@@ -90,6 +91,13 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
         return this._visible;
     };
 
+    Completer.prototype.was_shown = function () {
+        // Return whether or not the completer was shown.
+        var ret = this._shown;
+        this._shown = false;
+        return ret;
+    };
+
     Completer.prototype.startCompletion = function () {
         // call for a 'first' completion, that will set the editor and do some
         // special behaviour like autopicking if only one completion availlable
@@ -231,6 +239,7 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
             .attr('size', Math.min(10, this.raw_result.length));
         this.complete.append(this.sel);
         this._visible = true;
+        this._shown = true;
         $('body').append(this.complete);
 
         // After everything is on the page, compute the postion.
@@ -289,6 +298,7 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
 
     Completer.prototype.close = function () {
         this._visible = false;
+        this._shown = false;
         if (this.done) return;
         this.done = true;
         $('.completions').remove();
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/tooltip.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/tooltip.js
index 915cca4a0..f059c2293 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/tooltip.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/tooltip.js
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
             // handle to html
             this.tooltip = $('#tooltip');
             this._hidden = true;
+            this._shown = false;
 
             // variable for consecutive call
             this._old_cell = null;
@@ -128,6 +129,10 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
         return !this._hidden;
     };
 
+    Tooltip.prototype.was_shown = function () {
+        return this._shown;
+    };
+
     Tooltip.prototype.showInPager = function (cell) {
         // reexecute last call in pager by appending ? to show back in pager
         var that = this;
@@ -156,6 +161,7 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
     // and reset it's status
     Tooltip.prototype._hide = function () {
         this._hidden = true;
+        this._shown = false;
         this.tooltip.fadeOut('fast');
         $('#expanbutton').show('slow');
         this.text.removeClass('bigtooltip');
@@ -370,6 +376,7 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
         }
 
         this._hidden = false;
+        this._show = true;
         this.tooltip.fadeIn('fast');
         this.text.children().remove();