In this paper, the synthesized surfactant of copper dodecyl sulfate (Cu(DS)2) was used as a special metal-ion source for the morphological control of copper oxide (CuO) architectures. During the fabrication processes, the ribbon-shaped intermediates of basic copper salt with lamellar structures were observed at 60.0 degrees C for the first time. In the absence or presence of dodecanol (DOH), Cu(DS)2 could react with sodium hydroxide to form dumbbell-like architectures of CuO nanoparticles. The incorporation of DOH molecules into the adsorption monolayers of surfactant ions could greatly enlarge the dumbbell size in length, probably depending upon the formation of the DOH-DS complex. These indicated that the template effectiveness of the intermediate ribbons, together with the hydrophobic interactions of adsorbed hydrocarbon chains, should account for the formation process of CuO dumbbells. Interestingly, the addition of sodium chloride into the reaction systems could induce the morphological change of CuO dumbbells to the twin-anchors and then to the twin-spheres with two holes in the center. This further suggests that the hydrophobic interaction of pendent hydrocarbon chains provides an important approach for material fabrication purposes.