A spinoff graphic novel details Hup's backstory; he was a cook who stood up to a Skeksis - skekShod the treasurer - but was banished as a result and tagged along for a while with a Vapra Gelfling named Barfinnious, who was once a Paladin but became a bard.
The cast list during the end credits (which is in order of appearance) does not reveal which puppeteer performed and voiced the Podling servant in the opening scene.